Albus Potter and the Phantasm Orb
by Crystalline Iridescentia
Summary: An evil more terrible than anything before it is awakening, and there is only one with enough power to battle it. Albus Severus Potter is quickly learning that he has a great destiny, and that it is up to him to save the world from this ancient darkness. He will become a legend of his own, one perhaps as great as his father. Parallels the HP series. Book 1/7. COMPLETE & NOW EDITED!
1. The Stirring of Evil

**~Albus Potter and the Phantasm Orb~**

_Book 1_

**Based on the ideas and places of JK Rowling**

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**Author's Note: ****This is my fanfiction of Albus's adventures. The first book has already been completed, and I will be posting the chapters every week. Please review and tell me your thoughts, including compliments or criticisms. There will be seven books, and I should finish them all. I have planned Books 1-5 in detail, and I have a very good idea of what happens in Books 6 and 7.**

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******Here's a little summary, a bit more in-depth than the one you clicked on:**

_Albus Severus Potter, second son and middle child of Harry Potter, wishes for nothing more than to prove himself worthy of his name. He has always been the outcast of his family, the one who is forgotten, ignored, and looked over. Still, Albus desperately wants to show the world that he is a hero, not a loser. But this is made difficult when his Sorting goes terribly wrong, and all the bullies in the school make him a victim. Even as he tries his hardest to prove himself as someone who is not the 'bad egg' or 'black sheep' of his family, he is thrown back in his efforts, doomed to always be the disgrace and disappointment._

_But now, danger is rapidly approaching, and darkness is returning to the long-peaceful wizarding world. An ancient evil that has been biding its time for one thousand years is stirring, preparing to drag the wizarding world back into an abyss of terror. This enemy, one that has slumbered for uncountable centuries, is now waking up, and vengeance is on its mind. Its goal is to destroy the world... and rule the new one that rises from the ashes. Meanwhile, Albus is learning that his destiny rivals that of his father, and that it is up to him to save the world from this terrible evil—an evil greater than anything seen before it._

_In his first year, Albus has to deal with prejudiced professors, a cruel brother, vicious bullies, his feelings for a girl that is way out of his league, his uncontrollable magical powers, and a school that wants to kick him out because of the name of his House. In the midst of all this, Albus learns of an object hidden at Hogwarts—a very dangerous object that can grant the wish of the one who possesses it._

_But someone's trying to steal it—and their wish is terrible enough to plunge the world into irreversible darkness._

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**There are plenty of 'parallels' between this fanfiction and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, and those similarities are done PURPOSEFULLY. Meaning, I tried to make it similar, and tried to make an obvious parallel between Albus's and Harry's adventures. The first book might seem overwhelmingly like SS/PS, but the MAIN story of the entire series is different. Please don't be put off by how similar it is and give it a chance. The story breaks away from the parallel eventually.**

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**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

**_Chapter One_**

THE STIRRING OF EVIL

_ooo_

**_Chapter Two_**

AQUAINTANCES MADE

_ooo_

**_Chapter Three_**

BREAKING TRADITION

_ooo_

**_Chapter Four_**

THE LOSERS OF HOGWARTS

_ooo_

**_Chapter Five_**

THE POTIONS GENIUS

_ooo_

**_Chapter Six_**

THE ACCIDENTAL SEEKER

_ooo_

**_Chapter Seven_**

MIDNIGHT DUELS AND MYSTERIOUS ENCOUNTERS

_ooo_

**_Chapter Eight_**

HALLOWEEN SPIRIT

_ooo_

**_Chapter Nine_**

BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER

_ooo_

**_Chapter Ten_**

IRVING'S ISSUES

_ooo_

**_Chapter Eleven_**

THE PHANTASM REALM

_ooo_

**_Chapter Twelve_**

THE OPPONENT OF THE ORB

_ooo_

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

THE WAR OF THE TWO KINGS

_ooo_

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

THE VEILED VOICE

_ooo_

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

REVELATIONS

_ooo_

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

TERRORS OF THE TRIALS

_ooo_

**_Chapter Seventeen_**

THE CUNNING OF A SLYTHERIN

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**-Chapter One-**

**The Stirring of Evil**

One could not see anything very odd about the calm country road, except for the fact that a man had just appeared there out of nowhere. With a look left and right, the man walked down the lane, his blood-red cloak billowing around him. But why would anyone wear such a stifling cloak on such a warm summer's day? Strangely enough, this did not seem to be a matter of concern for the heavily dressed man, as he simply ignored the uncomfortable warmth and continued on his way. However uncaring he seemed about the stifling heat, the same could not be said for the street. He kept looking around, his keen eyes scanning the immediate area for intruders every few seconds. After several minutes of dead silence, he had apparently arrived where he wanted to be, and stopped in his tracks.

The red-cloaked man gazed at his destination quietly for a moment, which seemed to be an ordinary cottage. A few wilted flowers on the window ledge shook with a weak gust of wind. But, despite its normal appearance, this was not an average cottage at all. The red-cloaked man walked towards the hut, his robes flowing around him in an impressive manner. He waved his hand over the lock imperiously, causing it to click open.

The man with the blood-red cloak stepped in, finally taking off his hood. His face was utterly horrifying. The man's expression was devoid of human emotion, and his skin gave off an eerie, bluish glow. Though the rest of his face was nightmare-provoking, his eyes were the worst feature. They were ice-cold, hateful, and resembled the darkness of a moonless and starless night.

The establishment he had entered was far grander on the inside than it was on the outside. The floors were polished, and the marbled hall stretched on endlessly. Thanks to the limitless powers of magic, their Dark society could meet in secret in this seemingly innocent cottage. More people stood in the hall, also wearing blood-red cloaks and robes. The whispering in the 'cottage' ceased, and everyone turned their eyes on the newcomer. The man nodded coldly to them and swept down the stone hallway, keeping his eyes fixed firmly in front of him.

The path finally stopped at a single door. The man entered a gloomy chamber, which seemed to glow blood-red. His eyes scanned the room, stopping once he had caught sight of the side wall. This wall was different from the rest—it was a dark red shade and rippled strangely, distorting and swirling. The man walked over to it and placed his palm on it. The effect was instantaneous. His hand was sucked inside and the blood-red wall glowed brightly, illuminating the previously dim room. The man could hear people coming inside as the wall shone brighter and brighter, nearly blinding him. With a horrible squelching noise, the man withdrew his hand from the wall and turned around to face the people who had entered. The red light died down.

"Welcome," he hissed to the crowd of red-cloaked people assembled in front of him. If his face was terrifying, it was nothing compared to his voice, which was dry, shuddering, and blood-curdling. The people in front of him barely held back shivers. The man continued his introduction. "My dear fellows, you are here today at the our headquarters to confirm the rumors you have all surely heard."

Some people nodded, looking eager for news.

The man turned once more the wall. He stared at it, and his dark eyes momentarily flashed red. The wall glowed in response. "What you see in front of you," the man said, gesturing to the wall, "holds the secrets to Dark Magic."

A few people stirred, though most looked as if they already knew this.

"Soon, darkness itself will come from within this wall and walk into this world, destroying it."

The eyes of the people in the crowd shone hungrily, as if the prospect of world destruction pleased them.

"The leader of the darkness, the very embodiment of evil himself, will also be awakened, and he will lead—with us as his loyal servants—the armies of his creatures through this world, ravaging everything in his way. He is the _Paradox_, the only one with the power to truly destroy the world. He is our Master, and the Blood Lord."

The people listened to every word, waiting for the man to confirm the rumor that Dark Wizards all across the world had been hearing. "You had previously thought that only the Paradox has the power of pure darkness and evil, but there is now one other boy who has the same abilities..."

There was silence. Everyone in the room held their breath. Surely, it couldn't be possible. _Nobody_ could match the power of the Paradox, who had plunged the world into terror a thousand years ago before he had been trapped once more into the Realms of Darkness—the very origins of magic. All mention of him in history had been erased so that the wizarding world of a thousand years later would be unprepared for power of his scale when he rose again—a power ten times more terrifying than anything wizardkind had ever encountered before.

"And these rumors that you have heard are true," the man said. "Another boy made of darkness was born a month ago. The very balance of good and evil has shifted, and I can detect this new boy's unmistakable presence. _Where_ he is and _who_ he is... well, that is a difficult question."

The people muttered to each other, unable to believe it. What did it mean for them—for everything they had been working toward since the start of time?

"He is our Paradox's opposition, and he is the only one able to stop us. As of now, we do not know who he is, because we cannot track his presence. But do not worry. We have nothing to fear if our only obstacle is a month-old boy. He will be a teenager by the time he has full control over his power. Obviously, he cannot compare to an evil essence that has been learning from the wars of wizardkind and has practiced with his power for a thousand years."

The people in the crowd looked a bit more assured. Some of them laughed. The idea of a mere _boy_ having the power to defeat them was ludicrous.

"In eleven years time, I will send spies to Hogwarts and every wizard school in the world. Even if this child poses no real threat, we will still find out who he is, hunt him down, and stop him from saving this ruined world. It is likely that the Ministry will find him and kill him _for us_ because of his dark powers, thinking that he is a threat to their precious order. Once he is dead and out of our way, we will destroy this world and rebuild it from the ground up—exactly in the way we please," the man said, raising his fist.

The people in the room nodded in agreement, relieved that the news of the second, smaller Paradox was not as worrying as they had expected.

"You ask when we will finally be able to release the _first, _greatest Paradox. Well, it will take many years of planning. However, I think our time is quickly approaching. Only a little longer..."

The man turned back to the blood-red wall, which seemed to be glowing brighter than ever before. The wall of Dark Magic swirled and distorted, sending shivers through everyone in the room. They could all sense an ancient, evil presence from behind the wall, threatening to burst forth and tip the world into an absolute and endless night.

And these people in the blood-red cloaks—people more ruthless and cruel than the Death Eaters—knew one thing: To win the greatest war of the ages, they would have to fight _darkness_ with _darkness._

This, strangely enough, was true for both sides—evil _and_ good.

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**Disclaimer: No copyright intended. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.**

**Author's Note: Also, there may be grammar mistakes, since I'm only 14 (I wrote the first book when I was 13 and planned the series when I was 11) and certainly haven't finished my education. But I think I did pretty well with self-editing, and there shouldn't be too many mistakes. Tell me if you spot something, and I will fix it.**

**Please review :) It really means a lot to me to see that someone has liked my story enough to take a few seconds to leave a quick thought for me in a review. I write this for the readers, and I really like to know whether you've all been enjoying it. **

**-Crystalline Iridescentia**


	2. Aquaintances Made

**-Chapter Two-**

**Acquaintances Made**

A rather ordinary boy stood staring out the window of the Hogwarts Express. He looked unremarkable—the type of person who would go unnoticed in crowds. His jet black hair was almost comically messy and stuck up at the back, and his bright green eyes hid behind his round glasses. But this was no ordinary boy; he was famous. Not because of his own achievements, though. He got this fame from his last name, or more specificially, his father's name. Ironically, he did not like the fame. He would rather be left alone in crowds, and would greatly appreciate it if reporters would stop taking pictures of him. He was shy, reserved, and hated attention of any kind. However, hidden in the depths of his heart—so deep, in fact, that he didn't even know it—was a desire to be just as much of a hero as his father was.

Albus Severus Potter, second son of Harry Potter, watched as the Hogwarts Express sped away from Platform 9 ¾, his heart heavy. He continued waving, even though he could no longer see his parents. He turned around to see his cousin, Rose Weasley, bouncing around excitedly. "Oh, Al, we're finally going to Hogwarts! Imagine all the fun we're going to have! You'd better not get sorted into Slytherin, Al! You need to help me prank them!" Rose squealed, all of her sentences ending on a high note.

Albus rolled his eyes. Nearly all of his cousins were obsessed with pranking. Christmas and birthdays were days to be feared rather than days to anticipate. Albus, unlike the rest of his family, despised pranking. Sadly, he seemed to always get the worst of it. There was nothing more hilarious to his mischievous cousins to see quiet, nerdy Albus getting stuck on top of a tree, drowning in a pond, or having to sleep with maggots multiplying in his bed. James especially loved to torture his younger brother. Albus had to deal with James' constant taunts about getting into Slytherin the whole summer. James had also found it funny to lock Albus in the attic several times, set three garter snakes loose in Albus' room, and force-feed him candy that made him hiss like a serpent.

Albus loathed it all. He was an outcast, and he had never fit in. In contrast to his loud and happy family, Albus would prefer to daydream quietly in a corner or read books about Potions or Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn't even play Quidditch in front of anyone else. James was the star Seeker, and Albus did not want to compete with his domineering and talented older brother. Sometimes at night, Albus would take James' broom out and fly around the yard, trying to catch the Snitch. He enjoyed flying, but hated doing in front of others. And he certainly didn't want James to find out that he was an equally talented Seeker.

"Albus, are you even paying attention to me?" Rose asked, looking a bit annoyed. "I was just talking about that prank that James played on you this summer. Perhaps we should reuse it on that Malfoy boy that Dad pointed out earlier?"

Albus gritted his teeth. Apparently, no one in his family had yet realized that he wanted nothing to do with pranks. "Er—no t-thanks," he mumbled, shuffling his feet.

Rose shrugged, looking a bit hurt. "All right, but you're missing out." Then she grinned again, her disappointment evidently forgotten. "Let's go find a compartment."

Albus nodded in agreement, glad to have his cousin with him. Rose may have been clueless and tiringly energetic, but he wasn't sure what he'd do without her.

"Hey, Rose," said a cocky voice from behind Albus and Rose. Albus turned to see his brother, James, smirking over at them. "I'm an expert on everything at Hogwarts, so I can tell you what to do. First years sit with their new housemates," James explained.

Albus gulped. "James, y-you're only in s-second year," he said, a bit nervously.

James ignored Albus' words and continued speaking to Rose. "I can show you a few girls that look like they'll be Sorted into Gryffindor," James offered. "As for you, little Slytherin, you can join _your_ new Housemates in the back of the train."

Albus winced, but tried to put on a brave face. He remembered that his father had assured him that it wouldn't matter if he was Sorted into Slytherin. In fact, he was more terrified of being rejected by his family and the rest of the wizarding world than being Sorted into Slytherin. "T-That's getting old. It doesn't scare m-me anymore," he stammered, trying to reassure himself.

"It scared you five minutes ago," said James, smirking. "Come on, Rose, let's leave _Snivellus_ to find his own friends."

Rose bit her lip. "Al can come, can't he?" she asked. Albus was at least grateful that Rose wasn't abandoning him without a backwards glance to go with James like most people did.

"Oh, no!" said James in mock horror. "I can't have my nerdy little brother around me. It would ruin my reputation!" With that, James seized Rose by the arm and dragged her toward the front of the train.

Albus, trying to blink back unshed tears, began to pull his luggage through the train. All of the occupants of the compartments he passed began whispering and pointing at him, and it was getting quite annoying. Some people actually ran out of their compartments to stare at him. By the time he had reached the end of the train, he desperately wished that he could sink into the ground. After what seemed like three thousand years plus five minutes later, his long and torturous search was over. The last compartment was mercifully empty. Albus slid open the door and dragged his trunk in, panting heavily. He sat down, detached his owl's cage from his trunk, and set it beside him. He wasn't nearly strong enough to lift his heavy trunk to the rack above him, so he left in the middle of the compartment. He absentmindedly stroked his new snowy owl, Herwina, which had been a present from his father. The two of them had spent one warm summer afternoon looking through textbooks to find a name for her. Albus had been particularly fond of the name 'Hedwig,' but Harry had suggested that he name his owl something different. Albus grinned at the memory. His father was extremely supportive—even if Albus was a bit of a disappointment to his popular and famous family—and was fair and kind to him.

Without warning, the compartment door slid open, jerking Albus out of his thoughts. He looked up, startled. A boy with a pale, pointed face and cold gray eyes had just entered the compartment. His nose looked permanently stuck up in the air, and he held himself in an annoyingly aristocratic manner. Albus immediately realized that this boy must be Scorpius Malfoy, who Uncle Ron had briefly mentioned on the platform earlier.

"Can I sit here?" the boy asked snobbishly. He did not apparently think that Albus' answer was important, because he sat down before Albus could even speak.

"Yes...," said Albus lamely, too late.

The boy took a closer look at Albus, and then widened his eyes in shock. He mouthed wordlessly for a moment, and then finally caught his breath and closed it. "You're a Potter," he said, suddenly smirking.

"Um—yeah, I-I am," said Albus, tripping over his words pathetically.

Malfoy held out his hand. "Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy."

Albus shook his hand uncertainly. "Albus."

The two boys sat quietly for a few minutes. Albus passed the time by staring blankly out at the scenery, wondering what to make of his new companion. Scorpius Malfoy was evidently just as shy as he was, and had not tried to start a conversation. Albus looked back to see that Scorpius had taken out _Hogwarts, A History _and was reading it at what seemed an impossible speed. His eyes simply scanned the page before he turned it. Albus stared at him in shock. He, too, read very fast, but he had never known anyone who quickly as he did.

"D-Do you like that book?" Albus asked, forgetting that he was shy for a moment.

Scorpius looked up, slightly annoyed that Albus had interrupted him. "Yeah."

Albus, who was feeling braver now that he had found someone as clever as him, spoke again. "Do you like history?"

"I guess so. I'm more interested in modern politics of the wizarding world, though," Scorpius answered.

"Oh. Er—I just like Potions. Maybe Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Albus.

"Interesting. I'd like to become Minister of Magic some day, though Father says that I'd be lucky to be accepted as a caretaker at the Ministry of Magic," said Scorpius, putting his book down. He looked a bit excited in his haste to explain.

"W-Why?" Albus asked. "Why wouldn't the Ministry of Magic want you?"

"Because I'm a Malfoy and a future Slytherin," said Scorpius, sighing slightly. "Neither Slytherins nor Malfoys are treated very well now."

Albus sat in silence for a few seconds. "T-That's rubbish," he said.

"Yeah," said Scorpius sadly.

"I'd like to invent potions and spells," said Albus, the stutter finally disappearing from his voice. "I spend all of my free time reading about the Laws of Magic. I think it's possible to break every single one of them. And I like to experiment with magic, too."

"You think of changing the world, don't you?" asked Scorpius. "Me, too."

"Yeah, but in different ways," said Albus. The two boys grinned at each other. Finally, he seemed to have met someone who was equally as talented and ambitious.

The two boys continued to talk about their goals, often smirking and discussing their private plans of climbing their way to holding powerful and respected positions in the world.

"If I was Minister of Magic, there would be no discrimination. Not against muggleborns, not against pureblood families," Scorpius said. "Perhaps if I was good enough, I could spread my influence further."

"I'd create a magical revolution. Imagine this: Everything you've known about magic changes forever. Now, suddenly, everything's possible," Albus said eagerly.

"Everyone would laugh at you," Scorpius pointed out. "You'd be ridiculed for your bright ideas. I'd be ridiculed, too, come to think of it."

Albus snorted. "They won't be able to. I'll shove so much evidence up their nose that they'll have to agree with me."

"And if they still don't?" Scorpius asked.

"There's always the Cruciatus Curse," said Albus. The two boys burst out into laughter. Albus had also found someone with an oddly dark sense of humor, just like him.

Suddenly, the compartment door banged open. The two boys immediately stopped laughing and resumed their brooding. Rose had entered the compartment, bouncing around as usual. "That prank that James played on the fourth-year Slytherins was absolutely amazing! They were running around with their pants on fire for twenty minutes!" she squealed, clapping her hands together in glee. "Serves those disgusting snakes right! They don't deserve to ride on a train with us _clean_ people. Slytherins are disgusting _scum_. They had it coming for them. James is a genius for coming up with that prank!"

Scorpius snorted derisively. "Oh, yes, what a truly _hilarious _idea. You must be proud of yourselves."

Albus wholeheartedly agreed with Scorpius' sarcastic statement. Rose, James, and the rest were simply kidding themselves if they thought their jokes were funny. It wasn't right what they did to Slytherins.

"Excuse me?" said Rose furiously to Scorpius. She took in his appearance for a moment and her face changed from happy to murderous in only a second. "You! You're Scorpius Malfoy."

"Certainly," Scorpius drawled, narrowing his eyes at her. "Thank you for noticing. I must say, that was quicker than I expected."

It took Rose a few seconds to figure out what Scorpius had said. Albus tried desperately to keep his face straight. It appeared that Rose, for once in her life, was short of words. Her face turned purple, which was always a danger sign. "Al, why are you sitting with _it_?" She gestured to Scorpius in disgust.

"I _am_ a person, you know," Scorpius said coolly, barely hiding his smile.

Albus tried to come up with an answer to Rose's question, but the only thing he could honestly say without her biting his head off was, "H-He asked to sit here and I—er—let him."

Rose glared at him, and then she glared at Malfoy. Then she glared at Albus again. This went on for a few seconds while Scorpius steadily became more amused and Albus more embarrassed.

"Your kind doesn't belong here!" she spat. "They should have a separate train for you!"

"I'm not diseased," Scorpius said. He had long since given up trying to contain his laughter and was now snickering, which was driving Rose insane.

"Go away," Rose said. "I won't ask again."

"Well, I shouldn't disobey the great Weasley Queen with the superiority complex. Off I go." Scorpius stalked out of the compartment with his trunk.

Albus bit his lip from trying not to laugh. His attempt did not go unnoticed by Rose. The moment Scorpius left, she turned on Albus. "You were laughing with that—that _thing _before I came in the compartment! I heard you!" she shrieked.

Albus tried to look guilty, but he couldn't. Why should he feel guilty for enjoying a Malfoy's company? Yes, he knew that the Malfoys and Slytherins were the scum of the Earth. This was common knowledge in the wizarding world. But, even so, Rose had no right to chase Scorpius out. "Er—sorry?" said Albus, knowing that it didn't really sound like an apology.

Rose gritted her teeth. "Al, you can't seriously be considering making friends with him, can you?"

Albus sighed. He supposed he and Scorpius had no chance to be friends, now that Rose made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. It was quite sad, for he had never met someone so much like himself. For the first time ever, he didn't feel like he was alone.

"No," Albus muttered. "I didn't consider it, Rose. Don't worry."

"And you'll be a Gryffindor, right?" Rose asked.

Albus bit his lip. For some reason, his fear of being Sorted into Slytherin had disappeared after his father had assured him that it wouldn't matter to them. But, even so, Albus was going to join the red-and-gold-clad students, simply another Potter-Weasley. He _had _to. If he was Sorted into Slytherin, Rose would hate him. His uncles and aunts would insult him. James would torture him, and he'd practically be disowned. He couldn't risk that. He loved his family, even if they didn't appreciate him completely. Even if he was an outcast, he was still a Potter. Slytherin was the disgraced House, the House that was hated, the House that was barely even considered to be a part of Hogwarts anymore.

"Y-Yeah, of course," said Albus finally, his voice trembling slightly.

Rose didn't notice the tremor in his words, though, and she looked relieved that he had agreed with her. "Good. I don't know what I would do if we were separated," she said.

Albus smiled widely. This was why Rose was his favorite cousin and his best friend. She was extremely loyal and caring, not to mention that she always tried to defend Albus. One day, Rose had been as shy as him, but that had quickly changed. Rose was now loud, bossy, and prank-loving. Even so, Albus still held on to her, hoping that the kinder and quieter Rose would return.

From there, the conversation went downhill. Albus doubted that he could continue discussing his plans of world domination with his honorable and brave cousin, so he kept quiet. Rose, who knew that Albus didn't like to talk, simply took out a book on Quidditch and aimlessly paged through it. Rose was considered extremely smart, but Albus suspected that he was cleverer than anyone else in the family. But no one knew that, and he preferred that it stayed that way.

Albus was a boy of secrets, and a boy that had many of them. He carefully guarded his own and never revealed them. He was the listener, the schemer, and the dreamer. He was different—not only from his family, but from the average wizard. When he had been younger, his parents had constantly discussed his well-being. From what he had summed up from the hushed whispers, his magic level was unnaturally high.

Albus had realized this, too. Whenever he was angry, hurt, or scared, his magic exploded out of him in an extremely violent and dangerous way. Albus had been teased and pranked so much by his family that it was a miracle that he didn't explode every day. Somehow, he had found a way to block all of it out. Once, James had viciously insulted him, causing him to glow bright green and blast his older brother painfully to the ground. James had been confined to St. Mungo's for a week, and Albus had received a month-long punishment. His parents had assured him that he was so powerful because he was a budding magical prodigy, comparable to gifted wizards like Dumbledore.

But Albus had overheard other family members comparing him to Voldemort instead.

His underage magic incidents weren't like those little accidents that happened to most underage wizards—such as jumping exceptionally high or regrown hair. Whenever Albus got angry or scared, he would end up blowing up whole rooms—and once, his entire _house_—and his underage magic tantrums were always accompanied by an odd, bright green glow that had never been seen before in a young wizard—even a powerful one. What was more, Albus had shown strangely well-developed magic for someone so young. He had been able to control small animals and sometimes even people. He had made a bird commit suicide by jumping into a rushing river, and he had caused the grumpy alley cat that everyone hated to fall of the roof and break its leg. He had even managed to drive the town bully insane by simply staring into his eyes. No one had traced these incidents back to Albus. However, the muggles did not like him very much. They got along well with the Potters and the Weasleys in general, but there was something about Albus that they did not trust. Perhaps this was because Albus had always relished destroying places and hurting people and animals, and he had often done it purposely. His delight at seeing despair alarmed him, and he often wondered why he was like that.

But he did know that, slumbering deep within him, there was an evil desire to destroy, to kill, and, most of all, to _win_.

And he knew that, sometimes, he couldn't control it.

"Al, is it me, or is the train getting slower?" Rose asked.

Albus noticed that the sky was a marvelous dark blue shade, and it was clearly just a little bit past sunset. He quickly pulled on his robes, remembering that he hadn't changed yet. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Albus' stomach knotted with nerves. Rose, however, didn't look worried at all—she looked positively eager. "All right, Rose Weasley is coming to Hogwarts! I'll make sure the school never forgets my name!" she said spiritedly.

Albus smiled weakly at his cousin's enthusiasm. He was fairly certain that Rose would instantly become popular, just like James had. Albus, on the other hand, hoped to simply blend in with the crowd. But he knew that was too much to hope for. His father was a famous hero, after all. Albus could either be revered or hated.

The train pulled to a slow stop, and Rose immediately ran out of the compartment. Albus followed after her, trying to get all his emotions in order. He was nervous, excited, and downright scared at the same time. Albus and Rose were quickly trampled by the older students, and he desperately grabbed her wrist so that they wouldn't be separated. Following the crowd, the two tiny first years were swept outside the train.

Albus saw the horseless carriages waiting patiently off to the side. He knew better, though. The carriages were pulled by thestrals. He was quite relieved that he couldn't see them.

"Firs' years, firs' years over here! Rosie, Al!"

Albus' face broke out into a wide grin as he saw a large, lumbering figure in the distance.

"Hagrid!" Rose squealed. She and Albus sprinted toward the large half-giant, throwing their arms around him.

"Rosie! Yeh look beau'iful as always, an' Al, yeh look jus' like yer dad—'cept fer the freckles!" Hagrid bellowed, pulling them into a bone-crushing hug. Fortunately, Hagrid let him go before Albus lost too much air. A few minutes later, a large crowd of first-years had formed around the half-giant. Albus saw Scorpius Malfoy standing at the edge of the group, looking bored.

"C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years, follow me!" The first years stumbled on the slippery ground behind him as Hagrid led them down a steep, narrow path. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder as he walked. "Jus' round this bend here."

When they turned, the first years let out shocked gasps. Albus was speechless. The narrow path had opened up onto the edge of a great black lake. Upon a high mountain on the other side, was a beautiful castle with many turrets and towers. The windows of the school sparkled and shimmered in the starry sky, and Albus couldn't take his eyes off it.

"_Brilliant_," Rose whispered. Albus nodded in agreement. He had heard many stories about the school and had seen many pictures, but nothing compared to actually seeing it in person like this.

Hagrid, who looked amused at the first years' reactions, pointed to a small fleet of boats. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Albus and Rose climbed into the nearest boat and were joined by a boy with curly hair and long ears. He looked slightly elfish, and he scanned both Albus and Rose with his huge brown eyes.

"Hello! I'm Oswald Nesbitt," the elfish boy said, "and you're Harry Potter's son!" This last statement caused everyone to stare at Albus in awe.

Annoyed, Albus said, "I-I know I am." He wished people would address him as something other than 'Harry Potter's son.'

Oswald Nesbitt looked very hurt and wiped his eyes hurriedly. Albus did not feel guilty. He looked sideways to see Scorpius Malfoy, who looked unsure about where to sit. Everyone that Scorpius approached simply hissed at him. Albus decided not to invite Scorpius not to sit with them. He had promised Rose that he wouldn't try to make friends with Malfoy, and he was going to honor his word. But Scorpius joined their boat anyways, which made Rose turn purple. Fortunately, she had decided not to a start a fight and did not protest.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then—FORWARD!"

The fleet of boats surged forward magically. Albus found himself admiring the scenery and imagining all his classes. For a second, he almost forgot the Sorting. "Do you think we're going to have an exciting year at Hogwarts? With monsters and evil professors?" Rose asked suddenly.

Albus gulped and fidgeted with his collar. "I-I hope not! I just want a normal year."

"Oh, really? I wish that we could have those adventures like Mum and Dad did!" Rose said passionately.

_Be careful what you wish for, _Albus thought. He wasn't brave or adventure-seeking. All he wanted was to be respected, though he didn't even have that. He was the timid, shy, and stuttering boy that everyone made fun of.

As the boats sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff where the castle stood, Hagrid called, "Heads down!" They all did, and soon they went through a curtain of ivy that hid an opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel which seemed to be taking them under the school itself. They continued to sit in the boats until they stopped at an underground harbor. Excited, all the first years clambered out onto to the wet pebbles, slipping and sliding as they did so.

Once everyone was safely out of the boats, Hagrid said, "All righ', everyone here?" Then he raised a giant fist and knocked three times on the castle door.


	3. Breaking Tradition

**-Chapter Three-**

**Breaking Tradition**

Rose let out another squeal of recognition as Neville Longbottom, another close family friend, opened the door. "Uncle Neville!" she said loudly, running forward to hug him. Albus followed her in what he hoped was a more dignified manner.

"Come in, students. Hagrid, you'd better hurry along to the feast," Neville said. "I'm Professor Longbottom," he continued once they were all inside. To the right, Albus could hear happy and excited voices. The older students had already arrived. Instead of taking them to the Great Hall, Neville led them into a small chamber off to the side of the entrance hall.

"Stay here until I come back to get you," Neville ordered. "Ah—a word about the Sorting: For those of you who don't know, a few minutes later you will all be Sorted into one of four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and _Slytherin,_" Neville said, spitting out the name of the last House in disgust. "Your House is extremely important. You will spend all of your free time in your House common room, and you will be having all of your classes with your Housemates. They will become like your family over time. Any rulebreaking will deduct points from your House, and any achievements will add points to your House." As an afterthought, he added, "Gryffindor has won both the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup for nineteen years straight now."

With those words, Neville left Albus to brood over his coming doom. His father had promised that it wouldn't matter to him what House Albus was Sorted into, but it would certainly matter to the rest of the family.

And perhaps it was what his father had said back on the platform, or perhaps it was because he had met Scorpius Malfoy, but Albus no longer feared being Sorted into Slytherin.

_But I have to be in Gryffindor. I _have _to be. _He looked sideways at Rose, who was fixing her bushy hair. Albus didn't even bother to smooth down his own. He had long since given up on it. He looked down at his plain tie and Hogwarts' crest. Soon, they would turn scarlet and gold. At least, that was what he hoped.

The silence was shattered by several screams. All the first years looked up in horror as misty figures came forth from the wall, drifting a few inches above the ground. Dozens of pearly, semi-transparent ghosts surrounded them. A man with a ruff waved at them. "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your service. Resident House ghost of Gryffindor. We'd better win again!"

A beautiful, transparent lady drifting behind him narrowed her eyes. "Ravenclaw better get some good new students. I'm very tired of Gryffindor's constant victories."

Floating next to the woman, a fat ghost with many chins gave a jovial chuckle. "As am I. New Hufflepuffs, you'd better do your best!"

A bloodied man covered in chains said nothing. He only glided past them in silence, not looking at anyone. "That's the Bloody Baron," whispered Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. "He's the Slytherin ghost. If you _count_ Slytherin as a House, that is." With a guffaw, Nicholas and the other ghosts drifted away.

Once Albus' heartbeat had returned to normal, he looked around. Rose was laughing in relief. "Oh, those ghosts gave me an awful scare! But they're really harmless. Mum and Dad told us about them! The ghost of Gryffindor House is really called Nearly Headless Nick. We'd better be friends with him, since we're going to be in Gryffindor. I'm sure he'll help us with getting around the school..." Albus listened to Rose blabber on and on, taking comfort from her constant talking. She was never nervous, unlike him.

Finally, Neville came back inside and beckoned the first years forward. Albus felt like he was going to be sick. Once they stepped back out into the entrance hall, Albus saw a girl with long light brown hair slip into the group, unnoticed by everyone but him.

He completely forgot to dwell on his Sorting. Who was the girl, and why was she late? He certainly hadn't seen her on the boats. She certainly was very pretty, with those shining blue-violet eyes. Her stunning periwinkle gaze met his green one for a moment, and he felt his face heat up. _What?_ Why was that? This was new.

Albus pushed his thoughts back to the Sorting as he walked into the Great Hall. He widened his eyes in pleasure. He had never imagined a place so weird yet wonderful. Thousands of floating candles lit the hall, and the students sat talking merrily on the four house tables. In the front of the hall was another long table where the professors were sitting. Neville led them up here. "Form a line," Neville ordered quickly, and the first years obeyed.

Albus noticed, with a gulp, that a patched, dirty hat sitting upon a stool in the middle of the hall. Albus looked over to the students and saw his cousins and brother horsing around at the Gryffindor table, which looked by far the biggest and the happiest.

Then, without warning, the hat began to sing:

_I am the famous Sorting Hat,_

_But please do not yet clap,_

_For I have a terrible job._

_It is this that gives Hogwarts its greatest flaw,_

_The Sorting of the children,_

_Into houses Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin._

_Gryffindor, where the brave go,_

_Those chivalrous folk will never lay low;_

_Hufflepuff, where the loyal and sweet reside,_

_They will fight for what is right;_

_Ravenclaw, where the studious learn best,_

_Where they pursue their academic quest;_

_And the cunning, ambitious folk, Slytherin,_

_Who will do anything it takes to win;_

_But before I sort you, consider this,_

_Is this really Hogwart's wish?_

_To separate, to fight?_

_To plunge all of Hogwarts into an endless night?_

_Listen well, and listen closely,_

_For the greatest war of all the ages is quickly approaching._

_Put me on, but be very afraid,_

_If you don't consider what I say, it may be too late._

There was silence for a few seconds, and after a few moments of rather hurried and worried clapping, Neville unrolled his scroll, which was so long that it reached his shoes.

Albus watched the hat, thinking about what it had said. Rose, apparently, hadn't even been listening. "Why is everyone looking so worried?" she whispered. Albus ignored her question. The shock of the Sorting Hat's song had gone away and Albus had returned to worrying about his own Sorting.

"When I call your name, come up to the stool and put on the hat," Neville announced. "Abel, Janet." A girl with blond pigtails and a pink face hurried up to the hat and jammed it onto her head. A few seconds later, it yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bellwood, Dana."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Boot, Timothy."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Camel, Humphrey."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Derlwin, Eric." A blond boy with an arrogant look on his face swaggered up to the stool, clearly not nervous at all. Before the hat even touched his head, it screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus turned to look at the Gryffindor table. For some reason, it did not seem as inviting as it should. Everyone there seemed extremely arrogant and smug—and why shouldn't they be? The Gryffindors ruled the school, after all. They were also receiving the greatest amount of students. Nearly every student was Sorted into Gryffindor, and Albus wondered whether everyone was begging the hat to let it put them into the heroic House. After several more names, Albus realized that there hadn't been a single Slytherin. He glanced at the silver-and-green-clad table and saw that it was nearly empty—everyone apparently wanted to avoid Slytherin House. Instead of looking sinister, the Slytherins simply looked lonely and neglected.

"Lyon, Elina." The very pretty girl with the long light brown hair and the nice bluish-purple eyes that Albus had spotted earlier gracefully walked over to the hat and put it on.

A second later, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Albus realized that the staff members and professors were clapping harder than they had for any other student, and wondered what it meant. Did Elina Lyon know the professors well? But she had just met them! She hadn't been on the train, though. Maybe...

The next name jerked Albus out of his thoughts. "Malfoy, Scorpius." Neville narrowed his eyes as Malfoy stepped forward. Malfoy did not look nervous, nor did he look arrogant. Instead, he gave off an aura of boredom.

The hat did not take long to decide. "SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherins tried to clap for their first addition of the evening, but were drowned out by all the booing and jeering. Albus suddenly felt very angry. Why should the current Slytherins be blamed for the mistakes of their parents and grandparents? At that moment, he decided that if he was Sorted into Slytherin, he would change it and make the other Houses respect it.

"Nesbitt, Oswald." The short, slightly elfish boy with the huge brown eyes scuttled forward. The hat took a very long time to decide with Oswald, but it finally screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" The jeering turned to cruel laughter as Oswald forgot to put the hat back on the stool and had to jog back in order to give it to Olga Nyne.

Roughly half of the students had already been Sorted. Albus observed that this was a large year. Even so, only two students had been Sorted into Slytherin House.

"Ocust"..., "Penn"..., "Pomely"..., and then, at last—

"Potter, Albus." Albus stood there in shock, his brain working sluggishly. Whispers broke out:

"Potter, as in Harry Potter's son?"

"He looks just like his dad!"

"He's got to be a Gryffindor..."

Rose pushed him forward, mouthing, _'Don't worry, you'll make it into Gryffindor._' Albus only gave her a weak smile that looked more like a grimace and began his slow, torturous walk toward the stool. He was shaking so much that he wondered how his feet were able to support him. Neville grinned encouragingly as Albus approached him, but Albus could only respond by making a noise similar to both a gasp and a wheeze.

Finally, he sat down and pulled the hat over his eyes. _I have to be in Gryffindor, _he told the hat firmly. Then, to Albus' shock, a small voice sounded in his ear.

"Ah—how fascinating. Difficult. Extremely difficult. I see intellect beyond your age, oh my goodness—bravery, lots of it! Talent, ah... perhaps you have _too_ much talent... too much _power."_

Albus gulped. _What do you mean? _he thought, though he knew perfectly well what the hat meant.

"Insecure, dangerous, powerful... _deadly_," the hat continued, now chuckling. "You have a destiny greater and more terrible than anyone else's. Not only this, but I see great cunning. I see a desire for change, a desire to prove yourself the greatest wizard ever to walk the Earth. I see all your ambitions and dreams... you want to be different from your family. You want to be legendary because of what _you _do, not because of what your father did."

_I want to be in Gryffindor. I _need _to be in Gryffindor,_ Albus thought frantically. He didn't like what the hat was saying at all.

"Are you sure? Because then, that's it. You'll be just another Potter-Weasley, just another hero's son. To step apart from your family and friends takes great courage, and it brings much pain. But you especially will face much worse than your family's disappointment and rage."

Albus struggled with himself. He imagined Rose's bubbly and optimistic face, Scorpius' cold yet clever expression, and the words of his sneering, bullying older brother. Finally, Albus decided: _All right. I'm an outcast. This is what I was meant to do._

"So... we've agreed? Very well, then. I expect great things from you, Albus Severus Potter. You will be the one to bring back the honor of the serpent's House—SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat yelled out the last word for the whole hall to hear.

There was utter silence. Albus took off the hat in time to see Neville drop his scroll. Hagrid yelled, "NO!"

Then the booing, shouting, and jeering started. Albus had been expecting it, but he still winced nonetheless. He looked toward the Gryffindor table, very afraid to see what was there. His cousins looked as if they had been hit in the head with a club. Albus searched his brother's face hopefully, but the only thing he saw there was shock, hatred, and anger.

Knowing it was hopeless, he turned to Rose. She looked so anguished that the expression almost physically hurt him. After holding his gaze for a few seconds, she narrowed her eyes and looked in the other direction. Albus' heart broke. Trying to hold back his tears, he scuttled to the Slytherin table, which was so shocked that it hadn't clapped at all.

_Well, the Sorting Hat did say that being Sorted in Slytherin would bring much pain, _Albus thought, trying to console himself. The reactions of his family and the rest of school weren't unexpected. In fact, he would have been extremely surprised if they had accepted his Sorting. _But it still hurts so much, _he realized.

Albus sat down at the edge of the table, away from his new housemates. He wasn't in the mood to make new friends when he had just lost all of his old ones—especially Rose.

He saw Neville regain himself and call the next person, "Quemly, Chloe." Albus, who was only waiting for one other name, buried his head in his arms and tried to stop the tears from falling. Finally, the name he had been anticipating was called.

"Weasley, Rose." Rose was Sorted into Gryffindor before the hat even touched her head. Albus rubbed his eyes, knowing that now he and his favorite cousin and best friend were separated forever.

A few names later, the Sorting drew to a close, and Neville rolled up his scroll. The school and staff still looked shaken, as if they couldn't get over the fact that the son of the heroic Harry Potter had gotten Sorted into the 'evil' house.

Then the man sitting in the middle of the table stood up. Albus stared at him curiously. The man had pale skin and dark, flinty eyes. He looked rather young, perhaps in his early thirties. "Hello, and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I am your Headmaster, Professor Triton."

Albus raised an eyebrow. Headmaster Triton did not seem particularly enthusiastic.

"I will discuss the rules only after we have all eaten, because I'm sure some of you cannot wait," Triton said dryly. He then looked down at his golden plate, which had magically filled with food.

Albus looked down at his own plate to see that it, too, had filled with food. Not very hungry, Albus nibbled at a piece of bread, thinking about the fifty-or-so Howlers that he was going to receive the next morning from his parents and relatives. Deciding that he wasn't going to sit so far away from his new Housemates, Albus slid closer to the other students.

A boy with fluffy blond hair gave him a weak smile. "Hello, Potter. My name is Wyatt Hemley, and I'm the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team," he said, sighing. "Welcome to the House of the _losers_. We haven't won the House Cup or Quidditch Cup in nineteen years. Gryffindor's the Golden House."

"Oh...," said Albus stupidly.

"Why did you get Sorted here, anyways?" Hemley asked, curious. "I mean, really? You could have been popular and well-liked—you could have fit in! But you still got into this House. Why?"

Albus thought about this for a moment. He scowled. "I-I wouldn't have_ ever _fit in Gryffindor," he muttered.

The Quidditch captain looked embarrassed for asking. Then, he smirked dramatically. "Well, bad luck, I guess. All the thugs in the school find it fun to beat up Slytherins physically, mentally, and magically. You won't come back to the common room without being insulted, pushed, punched, or hexed at least ten times a day."

Albus gulped and felt less hungry than ever. Hemley did not look he was exaggerating that much. Albus was sure that he hadn't faced the worst of all the bullying yet.

"But the scariest of them is James Potter. He's far cleverer than the thugs, and far more well-liked and popular. They call him the King of Hogwarts. But you'd know that, won't you?" Hemley said.

Albus gulped again. If it was true that James loved to torture Slytherins, Albus was in big trouble. Before he had been Sorted, James had found it fun to bully Albus, but now it could only get worse. He was quiet for a moment, reflecting in the horror of his situation.

Hemley sneered, "_Three_ new first years? Ridiculous. Gryffindor got more than twenty—how do they even _fit_ that many?"

Albus agreed. Only he, Oswald Nesbitt, and Scorpius Malfoy had been Sorted into Slytherin. Oswald wasn't eating much either, but was instead doodling cheerfully on the tablecloth. Clearly, Oswald had no idea what he would have to face from the other Houses. Scorpius Malfoy, however, was paying attention to everything Albus and Hemley had been discussing. His sharp gray eyes darted from the staff table to the Gryffindor table, taking in every detail.

Albus turned toward the professors' table, wanting to study Triton for another moment. "Do you like the Headmaster?" he asked Hemley.

"Gale Triton? I suppose I like him. He's fair and pleasant, I must say. He used to be an Auror, so he's probably not too excited with this job," Hemley explained.

Satisfied with Hemley's answer, Albus continued to scan the staff table. Albus watched a man with dark hair talking with another colleague. The man turned around suddenly, and Albus' bright green eyes met the man's ice-blue ones.

Albus felt an electric shock go through his body. It was like he had been frozen and burned on the inside, and his head hurt so much that it felt like it would split. Then, the man with the ice-blue eyes turned away, leaving Albus gasping for breath.

Albus had no idea what had happened. Who was this man, and why did Albus suddenly feel sick and tired, like all the energy had been sucked out of him? He studied the professor with the ice-blue eyes for a moment longer, but the man did not look at Albus again. "Who's that professor sitting to the right of the Headmaster?" he asked Hemley, wanting to know more about the man who had caused him that pain.

Hemley winced. "Ah... that's Professor Irving. He's Head of Gryffindor House, and he's a right pain in the you-know-what_._ He favors the Gryffindors and despises the Slytherins. The other professors don't like us either, but they aren't so obvious about it. You'll see how cruel Irving is when you have your first lesson with him. It's _unbelievable_ how he treats Slytherins."

Albus shuddered. He didn't want someone like that as his enemy, but something gave Albus the feeling that Irving really hated him, even though Albus had done nothing to offend him—nothing besides being Sorted into Slytherin, anyways.

A few minutes later, the plates were cleared and replaced with desserts. Albus reached for his favorite, treacle tart, and stuffed it in his mouth. His thoughts returned to Rose and his family. Depressed, Albus stared at the Gryffindor table. Rose, he was guilty to see, had very red eyes and was sniffling. Albus missed her so much that it made his chest ache, but she would never want to be friends with him ever again now that he was a Slytherin.

To his family, he wasn't a Potter-Weasley anymore. _Will they ever accept me? _Albus wondered. He seriously doubted it. They had all taken a personal offense because of his Sorting, and he hadn't been very close with them _before_ his Sorting. He had always been the oddity and the outcast, the one that had been ignored and generally disliked.

Albus stared around the table, watching the habitants of the abandoned, hated house. _We're all so downtrodden. I'm going to change that. _He wasn't very brave, despite what the Sorting Hat had said, but he was ready to fight anything if it would change Slytherin's name.

Finally, the plates were cleaned for the last time, and Headmaster Triton stood up again. He clapped his hands to call the attention of the students, then began his speech. "Now, before I let you go, I must discuss the rules." There was a loud groan from the students, and several of them started booing. Triton simply smiled and continued. "All products from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes are banned, according to the ghost of Mister Filch, our caretaker. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden, obviously, and wandering the corridors at night is prohibited. The third-floor corridor is banned for this year. I suggest you do not explore it, unless you wish to lose your sanity."

Albus wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. Nobody else did, so he stayed silent. "Is he serious?" he whispered, worried.

"I guess," Hemley muttered back. "But I hope he's exaggerating."

Gossip suddenly broke out:

"Why is it banned?"

"Perhaps there's a monster?"

"Maybe he's hiding a stash of dead students there?"

"I think he has a new girlfriend—"

"SILENCE!" Triton roared. "I highly recommend you do not bother with this. It is not to your concern. Now, everyone dismissed!"

Albus looked to a girl with a long black braid and a prefect's badge. She introduced herself as Annemarie Wong. "You three boys will come with me. I'll show you how to get into the Slytherin common room. It's actually quite complicated, but you'll get used to it."

Annemarie led them out of the Great Hall and down into the dungeons. It steadily became darker, and the walls seemed to glow green. "This is the Potions classroom," she said, gesturing toward a rather small chamber off the main path. "Once you reach this point, it's a lot harder to go deeper. The magic in the school makes it impossible for a non-Slytherin to get into the common room without help. You need to have your wand at all times. Watch me," Annemarie ordered.

Albus watched, entranced, as she took out her wand and said, "_Monstrarad serpentem_." Her wand rose up in the air and pointed to the path to the left. "The school senses the wand and its owner. If the owner is a Slytherin, the wand will point in the right direction. If the owner is an imposter, the wand points to certain death."

Albus gulped. The dungeon mazes certainly sounded very dangerous. "Also, the mazes change form every few hours, so there's no point in trying to memorize the path," Annemarie said. "So, make sure you _never _forget your wand."

"Is this a new addition?" Scorpius drawled. "It wasn't here when Father was at school."

"Yes," Annemarie told him. "We decided to strengthen the security after some students from the other Houses played a very nasty prank on us a few years back. I _don't_ want to talk about it. It's a painful memory for all of us."

The three first years and the prefect continued for a few more minutes. Annemarie occasionally said '_Monstrarad serpentem_' in order to check her progress. Finally, they arrived at a blank stretch of wall. Albus saw a small hole in the middle of the wall, and wondered what it was for. This question was answered when Annemarie took out her wand again and pressed it into the hole. There was a small click, and the wall slid open magically. "You will only be granted entry if it is a Slytherin's wand," she added offhandedly.

Albus, however, wasn't paying attention anymore. He had seen the Slytherin common room and let out an impressed gasp. Nearly everything glowed green, and skulls decorated the furniture. A large window depicting the inside of the lake took up one side of the room, (Albus thought he briefly saw a merperson's tail in the gloom) and detailed tapestries of serpents gave the room a regal feeling, as if it had once been the parlor of a king's castle.

"Boys to the left," Annemarie said. "When you're coming back to the Great Hall, the maze will shift and change to let you through. Good night. Tomorrow... expect a bit of a _rough_ ride."

"Why?" Oswald asked, looking confused. "Classes don't start until Monday, and today is Friday."

Annemarie gave a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes. "First years are so naive. Hogwarts for Slytherins isn't very fun. In fact, it's downright torture. The other Houses don't like us very much. You'll see..."

On that dark note, Scorpius and Oswald immediately went into the boys' dormitories to sleep. Albus, however, sunk into the sofa nearest the fire, which also looked slightly green. Albus spotted a large, silver-framed portrait over the mantle. It was currently empty. At first, Albus didn't particularly care about it, but then, he glanced at it for a second time and gasped in shock. The nameplate underneath the frame said: _Severus Snape_.

Albus was quite sorry that the frame was empty and he didn't get the chance to talk to his namesake.

Deciding to finally turn in for the night, Albus dragged himself to the first year boys' dormitory. He let out another appreciative gasp. The walls were painted a dark green, and three king-sized, emerald-colored beds were laid out in the room, which had plenty of space because it was nearly empty. _This is certainly better than the Gryffindor dormitories, _Albus thought happily as he threw himself on his bed after changing into his nightclothes. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

He had expected serious problems from the Gryffindors in the next few days, but nothing could have prepared him for what was coming.

Because what was coming would be much worse than _anything_ the Gryffindors could do to him.


	4. The Losers of Hogwarts

**-Chapter Four-**

**The Losers of Hogwarts**

Albus, James, and their father stepped inside the small, stuffy wand store. Albus stared at the hundreds of wands, unable to breathe in his awe. James yawned loudly and sat down in the single chair in the middle of the room. He had already gone through the excitement of getting his wand the year before, and hadn't wanted to be dragged along on what he called 'Baby Albus's stupid little wand adventure.'

But James couldn't ruin his excitement. Albus' eyes were alight with yearning. He imagined holding and using his own wand after eleven years of waiting for one. "Ah… Misters Potters," wheezed a voice from the back of the store, jerking Albus out of his fantasies. All three Potter males jumped and turned to face the voice. An ancient-looking man staggered toward them, slightly unsteady on his feet.

"Hello, Mr. Ollivander," Albus' father said politely.

"For the second time in two years," Ollivander chuckled. James smirked at Albus, who glared back. He didn't want James to be there, anyways. James would no doubt tease him about whatever wand Albus got.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said, addressing James, who waved cheekily. "I remember your wand. It was the first one you tried: Twelve inches, hawthorn and phoenix feather. Nice and supple. Good for defensive magic and dueling."

"Yeah," James confirmed. Albus, annoyed that Ollivander hadn't paid any attention to him, cleared his throat.

"Yes," Ollivander nodded towards Albus. "I was thinking you would come this year." Out of nowhere, measuring tapes sprung up and started to measure his arm length, his height, and even the length of his pinky and the space between his nostrils. "What is your wand arm?" Ollivander asked.

"Er—I-I'm left handed," said Albus nervously.

"Very well, very well. Unfortunately, even after observing you, I cannot narrow down all these wands to one that might fit you. You are a mystery... very strange. Usually, I can tell which wand would do well with which owner, or at least narrow down the choices, but it'll be hard for you. I suppose we'll have to figure out what the wand is for you the old-fashioned way." Then Ollivander seized a wand from a nearby shelf and handed it to Albus. "Now, try this one. Ten inches, maple and dragon heartstring. Rather springy. Good for healing magic."

Albus waved it uncertainly. A pot sitting on the windowsill exploded. "No, no," Ollivander muttered, whipping the wand away from Albus. "Try this one. Thirteen inches, walnut and unicorn tail hair. Pliable."

The moment the wand made contact with Albus' fingers, a part of the wall burst, covering James in wood. "We have an explosive customer," Ollivander remarked. James snickered loudly, apparently not bothered by the splinters.

Nearly every wand that Albus tried reacted badly, destroying some part of the shop. Three hours later, the store had nearly disintegrated. Harry was making hurried apologies to Ollivander and trying to fix the mess, casting _reparo_ spells every few seconds. Meanwhile, the supply of wands had greatly dwindled, and less than half were left.

Ollivander chuckled loudly, making Albus jump. "Oh, you're a very difficult customer. Very difficult indeed. After giving you a few wands, I have surmised that the wand for you is unlike any other in this room. In fact, if we were to try every wand in this room, _none_ would choose you."

Albus' mouth dropped in horror. "What if I don't get a wand?" he practically wailed.

James, who was covered in splinters at this point, snorted unsympathetically. "It seems likely enough," he said scathingly. "Every wand absolutely hates you. I'm really not surprised, considering it's you."

Albus tried to ignore James' insults and looked hopefully toward Ollivander, who was smiling like an eerie Jack O' Lantern. "Oh no, oh no. I said that you wouldn't find a wand in _this_ room. These wands are nowhere near _great_ enough for you. I suppose it's time to reopen the_ back_ room," he said, bouncing on the soles of his feet and displaying far more energy than was recommended for a man of his ancient age.

"W-What back room?" Albus asked, his whole body shaking with fear.

"The back room where the most powerful and dangerous wands are kept," Ollivander explained, lowering his voice ominously. Terrified, Albus followed Ollivander to the back room. It was tiny, and cobwebs hung in the corner. It was shockingly empty, except for a small table in the very middle of the room. "I have not made any of the wands in this room. These are wands that I have found or traded. They are not to be played with," Ollivander said strictly. "I would usually restrain from handing these wands out to Hogwarts students, but I have no choice with someone like you."

Albus felt sick. He fixed his attention on the table, which had a few boxes stacked on it. "A-Are those the wands?" he asked.

"Yes. But I only have one wand in mind for you. The most powerful of my collection," Ollivander said.

Albus followed him to the small desk, the anticipation building inside him. He sensed that there was something extremely powerful here. Ollivander pulled out a drawer and clutched a small white box. He held it out for Albus to see. Albus, his hands shaking, gently took off the top and gasped in awe. The wand in front of him was absolutely beautiful. It was blood-red and rather dangerous looking. Not only this, but it also had an aura that demanded respect and power.

"Eleven inches, padauk wood and basilisk heartstring core. Basilisk heartstring cores are extremely rare and powerful, and this is only wand in existence that has that core. This wand is rather brittle and very good for Dark Magic and curses. It is generally unstable, powerful, and dangerous. And it's not recommended to have this wand."

Albus gulped. Ollivander continued, regarding the blood red wand with reverence. "After trying all those wands in the other room, I have realized many things about you. You are powerful. You are destined to be both terrible and great. You are... slightly unstable and insecure as well. I see many similarities between you and this wand, Albus Severus Potter. You both have certain... _dark_ qualities."

Albus let out a gasp, having no idea what to say to this. Ollivander's creepy silver eyes were boring into him. On the spot, Albus decided that he didn't like Ollivander very much.

When Albus had been younger, he had overheard his parents discussing his magical stability, but he didn't know that meant that he would become the owner of this powerful and deadly wand. But, strangely enough, it fit. It was drawing him towards it, and he felt a connection to it. He wanted it badly. At that moment, his eyes glazed over, and he reached for the wand, unable to stop himself. The moment he touched it, strange symbols scratched out in the wood glowed bright green. Ollivander took a sharp breath, his silver eyes tinted green from the glow of the wand. "Extraordinary. Truly extraordinary," he whispered, awed. The wand began to shine brighter and brighter, and Albus felt as if his arm was freezing over.

Then the glow died, and everything was quiet.

* * *

Albus Severus Potter jerked awake. His bed felt unfamiliar, though still rather comfortable. Had he been dreaming about the day he had gotten his wand? Probably. He had never once had a normal dream in his life. Ever since he could remember, his dreams had always had some sort of hidden message. Albus often dreamed of the past, usually his own. He rarely ever remembered the dreams, though, and he never told his parents about them. He didn't want to trouble them, and he didn't want to attract further attention to himself.

He looked around to see that Oswald was still snoring loudly, though Scorpius Malfoy was wide awake and arranging his dresser. Albus felt dread fill him from his toes to the top of his head, wondering what James, Rose, and the rest of his family were going to do to him. He tried to push the fear out of his mind and got dressed in record speed. Hopefully, he could finish breakfast quickly and return to the dormitory to ponder his family issues. Without bothering to comb his hair, Albus left the Slytherin common room. He only stopped to spare a glance for Snape's portrait, which was still empty.

When he reached the Great Hall, he saw that it was mostly deserted. He quickly made a beeline for the Slytherin table and sat down next to Hemley, who was reading the _Daily Prophet._ "Er—hello," Albus said nervously, scooping some porridge into his bowl.

Without looking up from his newspaper, Hemley said, "You'll get your schedule on Monday. Most of your classes will probably be with the Gryffindors."

"W-Why?" Albus asked, horrified.

Hemley made a face at the newspaper. "The school governors want the Slytherins and the Gryffindors to get along better, so they always pair the two Houses together in lessons."

Albus gulped. Hemley finally looked up from the paper, his expression grave. "I suggest you learn some protective charms and defensive magic right away. You're Harry Potter's son, but I don't think that the seventh years thugs consider you a Potter anymore."

Albus gulped again. He was suddenly afraid to step away from the safety of the Slytherin table. He finished his breakfast quickly and sat there, staring blankly into space. He was desperate to see his family again, but it was still too early, so most people hadn't come to the Great Hall yet. He imagined several situations in which he and his family made up and everything returned back to normal. He imagined more situations in which his family insulted him and threw porridge at his face. He gulped for a third time and buried his head in his arms. Finally, he heard the noise of tell-tale laughter coming from the entrance of the Great Hall. He turned around slowly, fearing what he would see. Obviously, it was James and the rest of the popular students. He noticed Rose and the pretty girl with the light brown hair, Elina Lyon, in the midst of the crowd. James was apparently telling them all a funny story, because everyone started to laugh in a sickeningly jovial way.

Albus bit his lip nervously and wondered whether he should go and confront James. He didn't want to talk to James in front of all those people, but he doubted that James would ever be left alone by his group of friends for even a second.

Suddenly, James looked over at the Slytherin table. Albus' bright green eyes locked with James' bright brown ones. James' eyes were narrowed in disgust, and Albus' blood turned cold at his brother's expression. At that moment, he knew that he wouldn't be forgiven for a very, _very_ long time. To his horror, James started coming over to him. Albus immediately hunched over in his seat, hoping against hope that James would ignore him.

No such luck.

"Look, everyone, here's the _loser,_" James snorted. He walked over casually and stood over Albus, casting an ominous shadow on him. Hemley scooted away as quickly as possible, not wanting anything to do with James' bullying.

Albus sunk lower in his seat and said, "W-What do you want?" He hoped he sounded braver than he felt. James laughed, and the people around him echoed it stupidly. Albus didn't understand what was so funny. He looked over James' and saw Rose. Her face was very pale, and she wasn't laughing.

"So, how is it here? You're a part of the scum now—but then, you always were," James said, a cruelly gleeful smile curving his supposedly handsome features.

Albus clenched his fists. He had always let his more social brother always walk over him, but now Albus was a Slytherin. _I have to show my Slytherin side. I can't be a loser anymore. _But what did it matter? He would always be seen as the failure. What did he have to do to earn some respect? He decided to simply sneer at James silently, and turned back around. It really wasn't his style, but it did the trick. James narrowed his eyes, and his joking manner disappeared. "You're a complete _disgrace_. A disgrace to the Potter name."

Albus gasped and whirled back around, his eyes burning with hatred. "I AM NOT A DISGRACE!" he spat. James took a step back, an expression on fear on his face.

A very curious sensation had taken over Albus. It was an exhilarating, invincible feeling. He felt power thundering through his veins, and inexplicably felt like he was capable of pulverizing James on the spot. It was a dark, evil feeling that seemed to give him strength. And then, without warning, that strange sensation drained away from him, and he was left feeling exhausted and confused.

"Loser!" James shouted, recovering from the unexpected sinister glint in Albus' eyes and knocking his head into his plate. Finally, his bully of brother stalked to the Gryffindor table, his crowd of followers trailing behind him.

Rose, however, stayed behind. Her brown eyes were wide with anger. Albus couldn't sit there any longer. _Rose _hated him. He could deal with James, but he couldn't stand to see that expression on Rose's freckled face. He stood up, not wanting to eat anymore. Albus walked out of the Great Hall, trying to ignore the jeering and booing, which was no doubt led by James.

He was absolutely furious. He was done with being the quiet, shy, and timid boy. _I'll show them all what Slytherin is made of. _

He had barely exited the Great Hall when he was cornered on all sides by large, thuggish, stupid-looking seventh year boys. Albus gulped; he doubted they were there to say hello to him. "Can I-I help you?" he asked nervously, gripping his wand in his pocket. The boy nearest him answered, smirking. "Hello, Al_pus_ _Snivellus_."

Albus flinched at the cruel nickname—the one James had given him—but managed to compose himself. "H-Hello," he said, deciding to play innocent.

"I'm Wayne Lacker," the large, muscled boy said pleasantly with an _un_pleasant smile on his face. Then he cracked his knuckles and took out his wand. "And _you're _a Slytherin."

"I b-believe I am," Albus said, stuttering horribly. "Now, if you'd p-please move."

"I don't think we will," Lacker sneered. "We don't like Slytherins, do we, boys? In addition to that, you're a _traitor."_

The thugs around him grunted in agreement. Albus gulped again, though he was quite annoyed that they had called him a traitor. He wasn't that, and he would never be. Angry and scared, he dropped his polite Slytherin attitude. "Let m-me go!"

"Of course you can go," said Lacker sweetly, "after we hex you into oblivion." He took out his wand.

Those were the words that made Albus spring up into action. He yanked his wand out of his pocket and pointed it threateningly at Lacker. "I've m-memorized the whole D-Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook," he warned. His whole body was shaking, and he seriously doubted that he looked threatening.

"And I'm a seventh year," Lacker responded, grinning sinisterly.

Albus, realizing that he was done for, blindly ran to one side. He met an invisible barrier. Lacker raised his wand and sent dangerous-looking yellow sparks at Albus. It was nonverbal magic. He was just about ready to tough it out, resigned to the fact that he would be sent to the Hospital Wing on the first full day of Hogwarts. Then, Albus had a brilliant idea. Why did he have to cower like a loser? Why didn't he show them what Slytherin was capable of?

"Professor Longbottom, help me!" he called dramatically, the stutter gone from his voice.

Lacker and his cronies, horrified, turned around.

But there was no Professor Longbottom.

When the bullies turned back to their victim, the small, clever first year was already running along the corridor. Even if he was scrawny, Albus was extremely fast—and not just on a broomstick. "AFTER THE SNEAK!" Lacker ordered, baring his lips in a furious snarl and thundering after him with the rest of his cronies. Fortunately, Albus had already reached the safe haven of the library ages before Lacker got there. Panting, Albus leaned against a table. He smirked maddeningly at Lacker, who looked nothing short of murderous.

"Well get you, _Snivellus,_" Lacker called from outside the library. "No one has ever escaped from us. Not even you, slimy Slytherin scum." Albus simply waved happily, safely inside the library. A few threats and rude hand gestures later, Lacker and his burly gang left.

Albus breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he had nearly been beaten up magically, he felt elated. Perhaps the bullies would think twice before they attacked a Slytherin next time. He turned around and saw prefects and overachievers alike already studying, even though term hadn't even started yet.

Albus remembered what Hemley had advised. He needed to learn some hexes, or he would be hopelessly beat up. For the rest of the day, Albus flipped through books on advanced hexes. He soaked up all the information. Albus absolutely loved everything about magic—especially Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. When he was content with his new discoveries, Albus left the library. To his relief, he wasn't confronted by anyone else.

But even though he was safe for now, the other Slytherins weren't. Everywhere he looked, Slytherins were getting insulted and walked over (sometimes literally). Several Slytherins sported gory looking injuries, and quite a few were holding back tears.

_We don't deserve this. What happened to Slytherin? They were supposed to be evil, but it's the rest of Hogwarts who's cruel now. _When Albus reached the Slytherin dormitories again, he made a decision. _Slytherin is going to change. And I'll convince them if I have to. _It felt great to think of him leading all of Slytherin house, leading them to victory—not only in Hogwarts, but also in all of society. For some reason, Albus yearned for power and respect. He didn't want to be famous—just to be a _leader._

That was probably why he had been Sorted into Slytherin in the first place.


	5. The Potions Genius

**-Chapter Five-**

**The Potions Genius**

Albus saw a man in ragged robes, presumably the new Head of Slytherin House, handing out schedules as he reached the Slytherin table for breakfast on Monday. He sat down and began to pool oatmeal into his bowl when the professor shoved his schedule at him. Albus took it glumly and saw that he had Charms with the Hufflepuffs first. After he was done perusing his schedule, he took out his Charms textbook and read it. He had already done so this summer, but reading even more couldn't hurt, right? Trying to memorize every incantation in the first half of the book, Albus was busy for the rest of breakfast. Knowing he had Transfiguration after Charms, he propped open his Transfiguration textbook next to the Charms one and looked back and forth at them, causing several Slytherins to stare at him in awe as he read both textbooks practically at the same time without getting confused. When he realized the Slytherins were watching him, he closed the textbooks quickly and surreptitiously shoved them back into his schoolbag. But not only were the Slytherins staring at him—they were talking about him, too.

"Can you believe it? The son of Harry Potter? In Slytherin?"

"Do you think he's a spy?"

"Poor kid. His high-and-mighty family probably disowned him."

"What's someone with a name like his doing here?"

"The Sorting Hat must have been drunk. There's no way Potter's anything like us."

Albus tried to ignore them, but felt a lump rise in his throat anyways. Even his new Housemates were suspicious of him. And he really couldn't blame them. After all, they were constantly bullied by the popular Gryffindors—many of which were part of the Weasley-Potter family. Slytherin's bad reputation had extended from the time of the war until now, even though they definitely weren't as cruel as they used to be. The rest of Hogwarts didn't seem to care that Slytherin might be better than before. The students of other Houses were glaring at them and insulting them, coughing, "_Losers_" into their hands as they walked by their table. It seemed that the Hogwarts was taking revenge on the Slytherins now for their ancestors' mistakes nineteen years ago.

It wasn't fair, Albus realized. He clenched his fists underneath the table, trying to ignore a gaggle of Gryffindors that knocked several Slytherins' heads into their porridge bowls as they walked by. At last, the torture of breakfast was over, and the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Albus stood up and looked nervously towards Scorpius and Oswald, who were the only Slytherin first years. It wasn't surprising that there were only three new additions, as nearly everyone hated Slytherin and did not want to become the scum of the school like them. This also meant that Slytherins didn't have strength in numbers, which, of course, made it all the easier for other Houses to bully them.

And so, Albus wasn't the least bit shocked when he saw the crowd of fifteen-or-so Hufflepuffs, which made it five to one. Hopelessly outnumbered, Albus, Oswald, and Scorpius drew closer together automatically, even though neither of them particularly liked each other. They walked into the classroom and all took seats at the back, Albus taking out his textbook and opening it so that he'd be hidden from view. A few minutes later, the class began. Their Charms professor was Professor Moore, who was at least somewhat fair—even though his voice took a sour tone when he did role call and called Albus' name. After that, all he did was talk happily about Charms while bouncing around.

While he talked, the Hufflepuffs fixed glares of dislike on the Slytherins. Their expressions were hostile, and obviously conveyed one thing to the three Slytherins: Slytherins weren't wanted here. Bizarrely, Albus had grown used to the sideways insults by the end of the lesson. Oswald, however, burst into tears every few minutes. As sweet as the Hufflepuffs no doubt usually were, they were very nasty to the three Slytherins.

Transfiguration afterwards was much, much worse—it was with the Gryffindors. Five minutes into the lesson, Albus was trying not to strangle Eric Derlwin, the arrogant brat whose only purpose was to make Albus' life miserable. Albus had to deal with snide whispers of '_wimpy scum_' every three seconds during Professor Patil's speech. Fortunately, things took a turn for the better when Patil handed out parchment and told them to turn it into wood. Albus and Scorpius both got it perfectly on their first try and earned ten points each for Slytherin. The Gryffindors looked absolutely murderous. Patil kept handing the two clever Slytherins a few simple objects to transfigure, but Albus and Scorpius managed them all on the first try as well. No one else had been able to transfigure anything. At the end of the lesson, the Gryffindors slouched in their seats, disheartened. It would be a bit harder to tease Albus and Scorpius now. No one could ever dare to insult them about their intelligence. If one thing was clear, it was that Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter were possibly two of the most talented wizards in the school.

The rest of the week passed similarly. Even if Albus and Scorpius had constantly proved themselves geniuses in every class, they were still teased out of spite. During Herbology, Derlwin had made a plant squirt its insides all over Albus. He was glad to see that Derlwin was punished by Neville, who was at least trying to be nice to Albus. Albus, Scorpius, Oswald, and the rest of the Slytherins continued to be bullied, though Lacker did not approach Albus again. He suspected the news about his academic brilliance had been spread around the school, and perhaps Lacker was a bit afraid of confronting him. But not only did Albus have to deal with the insults of random students in the hallways—he also had to endure his bullying brother, who was intent on reducing Albus to tears. The rest of his cousins continued to ignore him. Sometimes they would give him either nasty or sympathetic looks. Victoire, like Neville, was trying to be nice to him. Albus very much liked his oldest cousin. He did truly hope that Teddy would marry her. She was very pretty and extremely nice.

There was only one other girl at Hogwarts like that—Elina Lyon. In a particularly embarrassing moment for Albus that first week, a group of fifth years had ambushed him in the hallways and had knocked his schoolbag off, causing its contents to spill out. Without any words but with a kind smile, Elina Lyon had kneeled down next to him and had helped him pick all his quills, ink bottles, and books up. He had been so shocked that a Gryffindor (not to mention, an extremely pretty one) was being so friendly to him that he hadn't even thanked her; he had simply run off, his cheeks flaming. After that, he had found himself paying far more attention to her than was recommended. He had learned, due to his lengthy observations of her when he hoped that she wasn't looking, that Elina had quickly become best friends with Rose, and had easily climbed to the top of the Hogwarts social ladder. Unlike every other popular girl in the school, she did not grimace or sneer at him when he passed by. Instead, she sometimes gave him a bright smile that made his heart flutter. In several of his classes, Albus found himself staring fixedly at her. But then, reality struck him, and he wondered what would she want with a socially challenged, supposedly traitorous, Slytherin nerd when she was best friends with James, Derlwin, and the rest of the popular Gryffindor boys in the school.

* * *

"Flying lessons after dinner," Scorpius grunted on Thursday afternoon at dinner.

Albus, who had been trying to ignore loud jeers directed towards him from the Ravenclaw table, froze in the act of bringing a spoon to his mouth. Scorpius hadn't said a single thing to him every since the train ride. "Y-Yeah," Albus stuttered, composing himself. There was no need to be rude. "Do you fly?"

"Um—not really," Scorpius said.

"Me n-neither," Albus lied, his voice shaking.

He did indeed fly, and he flew well. Perhaps even better than James, who was supposedly the best Seeker ever since their father. Albus, unlike his brother, rarely ever flew in public. He had refused flying lessons from every family member who offered them and had just learned by himself. He had been too shy, and he hadn't wanted to compete with his older brother. After all, James was the type of person who liked to be the best at everything and hated anyone who rivaled his skill.

_And he's accomplished it, _thought Albus dully, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. _He's Mr. Perfect. Quidditch prodigy, top of his year without trying, proud prankster that never gets into trouble just because he's so likeable, popular with everbody, recklessly brave, annoyingly good-looking... _The list went on and on. Albus stabbed at his tart angrily, trying to take out his jealousy on it.

After dinner, the three Slytherin first years walked out on to the Quidditch pitch, where all the first years from all the other three Houses were waiting for the lesson to begin. Albus saw Rose standing next to Derlwin, giggling about something with him. He noticed that she was twirling one of her orange curls around her finger and leaning closer to Derlwin than was advised. Standing behind them was Elina, who was engaged in conversation with several other first years, most of which looked so happy that someone of her self-earned social standing was talking to them. Albus stared at her for a few minutes straight, his mouth hanging open slightly. A second later, he gave himself a mental slap. _What's wrong with me? _he thought, shaking his head jerkily as if he were warding off a fly.

At that very moment, Madame Hooch hurried on to the pitch and surveyed them, as if wondering how bad the lot of them would be. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Stand over a broom, everyone! Quickly now!" she ordered.

Once they were all in position, she continued, "Now, hold your hand over your broom and say _up!_" Albus' broom was the first to come up into his hand.

Both Scorpius and Oswald were struggling, and they weren't the only ones. A few minutes later, mostly everyone had managed to get their broom. Some people, however, just grabbed it from the ground when Madame Hooch wasn't looking.

"Everyone got their broom in their hand? Good. This year, we're going to have a race on this obstacle course for advanced fliers." She waved her wand, and a complicated looking maze made out of wood appeared over the Quidditch pitch. "Whoever wins gets some chocolate," Madame Hooch continued, waving a generous package of Honeyduke's chocolate in the air. "Those of you who don't know how to fly, move over to the right. You will not be able to participate in the race today, as I will be teaching you the very basics. Those of you who think you know how to fly, move to left side and line up for the race."

As the class divided itself into two, Albus decided that he wasn't going to try to win. He didn't want to attract attention, after all, and he was also quite sure that everyone from the other the Houses would try to kill him if he won. They were already bitter that Scorpius Malfoy—the son of a Death Eater—and Albus Potter—the disgrace of his family—from the hated House of Slytherin were the most academically gifted students in the school. There was no point in making it worse for himself.

"Get on your broom, then!" Madame Hooch ordered. Everyone did so. She went around correcting everyone's grip. Albus was pleased to see that she told Eric Derlwin that he was doing it all wrong. "Okay! GO!"

Albus started slowly, only a few yards in front of the students who flew very badly. Scorpius and Oswald were among these people, even though they had both grown up in magical families. Albus was annoyed to see that Derlwin and Rose were neck and neck in the front. He sped up slightly, not wanting to finish last place. He knew he could have probably won while he was sleeping, but he didn't want to make even more enemies. Did it really matter, anyways? If he won, all that he'd accomplish would be some chocolate and all of the first years out for his blood. Sighing, he slowed down, not even bothering to fly through one of the mini-hoops that Madam Hooch had set up for the obstacle course. Ten minutes later, Derlwin had won with Rose as a close second. "Good work, Derlwin," Madame Hooch said heartily. "Here's your prize." She handed him the chocolate while an annoyed Rose eyed it.

"You can have some, _Miss_ Weasley," Derlwin said, winking flirtatiously. He broke off a piece and handing it to Rose, who accepted.

"All right," Rose giggled.

Albus just raised an eyebrow, unamused, but Scorpius Malfoy stiffened slightly.

* * *

When Friday arrived, Albus was exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. His classes had been extremely easy and boring, and he longed for a challenge. He was also tired of all the bullying and insults, and was looking forward to teatime at Hagrid's hut. Hagrid, at least, seemed to be trying to be nice to him, which Albus appreciated. At breakfast on Friday, he glanced at his schedule and saw that the Slytherins had two classes with the Gryffindors: Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, the two subjects he was most looking forward to learning. Albus groaned, wondering why the Gryffindors had to exist. They were most certainly going to ruin his day. He fould himself wondering why they hated him so much. What had he and the rest of the Slytherins done to deserve treatment like this? Resignedly, he and the other two Slytherin boys trudged to the dungeons after breakfast. However, he felt more comfortable than he usually did. The Slytherins were in home territory, after all. Albus' relief did not last for long, though. Nearly thirty Gryffindor first years surrounded them, shouting insults at the three Slytherins. It was clear that the Slytherins were even more hopelessly outnumbered than they had been with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws; Gryffindor was the biggest and most popular House.

"Looking good there, scrawny scum," Derlwin jeered. "Tell us how Voldy's bed feels like. Is it all nice and padded with the bones of the people he killed?"

The other Gryffindors laughed at Derlwin's 'clever' comment, though Albus could not see anything particularly funny about the joke. He noticed that Rose was snorting, and suddenly felt anger fill him to the top. _Rose. _She hadn't even looked at him the whole first week, unless it was to glare at him, and now she was laughing at his misery. What had happened to her? All the fight left Albus, and he slumped. He wished that the two of them were friends again. He was so _alone_ now. Scorpius Malfoy was a likely ally, but Albus had promised Rose he wouldn't make friends with any Malfoy. Albus would stay loyal to her, even if she was no longer loyal to him.

Without warning, the door opened and the Head of Slytherin House, a man in ragged robes, welcomed them in. "Hello, I'm Professor Hoffman. Sit anywhere you like," Hoffman said, gesturing toward the haphazardly arranged desks.

"Weird place," Derlwin commented.

Hoffman gave the arrogant Gryffindor a cold smile. "Indeed," Hoffman said, waving his wand. Pillows suddenly appeared on the chairs. "I think students learn best in a comfortable environment, unless you'd prefer to sit on the ground?"

Albus grinned. He liked this professor already.

"Take out your cauldrons now," Hoffman ordered.

Rose raised her hand bossily. "I'm Rose Weasley, sir. May I ask why you're asking us to make a potion without giving us an introduction or anything?" she said. There was a nod of agreement from the class, though Albus felt annoyed at Rose's intervention. He was very eager to brew a potion, and was quite glad that Hoffman had chosen not to waste any time.

"Well, Miss Weasley, I'd prefer to get started right away. What is the point of Potions, Miss Weasley? Answer that," Hoffman said pleasantly.

"To make potions," Rose answered glumly.

"Of course. Turn to page five, then," Hoffman ordered. Albus seized his textbook and flipped to the said page eagerly. He had already memorized the procedure and the ingredients when he had read it this summer.

"This is called the Sweetening Potion. A drop of this should make any potion sweeter. There is a more advanced version of this potion, but it is extremely difficult to make. Start now!"

Albus had already sprung into action when everyone else was still reading the instructions. He grabbed aconite nectar, black beetle eyes, a sopophorous bean, and several more assorted ingredients. Albus carried all the ingredients back to his cauldron and dumped them on his desk, then glanced at the instructions. With _lacarnum inflamarae, _he started a small fire beneath his cauldron and poured water inside. Ten minutes into the lesson, mostly everyone seemed to be doing well—except for the dunderheads like Derlwin. It wasn't until people started to reach the sixth step that problems started occurring. It seemed that not many students could cut their sopophorous bean. Albus tried it for himself and saw that it was indeed difficult to get the juice out. Then he wondered if he would achieve better results if he used the flat part of his knife to crush the juice out of the bean. Albus tried it and found that the trick worked perfectly. He added the juice—the first person to be able to do so. After triumphantly glancing at the seventh step, Albus poured the beetle eyes into the mixture. He followed the instructions and spun clockwise a few times. Then he realized that the potion wasn't mixing very well. He put in a few counterclockwise spins every now and then, and the potion finally reached the creamy yellow shade of completion.

Unsatisfied, Albus decided that he wanted to make the more advanced version of the potion. He hurried back to the store cupboard, realizing that there were still fifteen minutes remaining. Albus took a few more ingredients out, including butterscotch, powdered peppermint humbugs, and—bizarrely—peacock feathers. The instructions for the advanced version weren't in the textbook, but he knew the theory and the properties of the ingredients well enough for a good guess. He added in the other ingredients carefully, following the pattern of clockwise and counterclockwise turns that he had made. Just when Albus had finished mixing in the powdery peppermint humbugs, Hoffman yelled, "All right, time's up! Let me come around to see what you've all done.

Albus inspected his own potion critically. The potion was still creamy, but it was shimmering and sparkling. He thought it had turned out perfectly, even though he hadn't tasted it yet. Hoffman swooped around the room, shaking his head at various potions and simply sneering at Derlwin's. Nearly all the potions had gone bad when it had been time to add in the sopophorous bean. Most people had given up and just dumped the bean in their cauldron, therefore ruining the potion. The colors ranged from bright blue to a dangerous-looking orange.

Hoffman smiled at Rose, whose potion was at least yellow. "Nearly perfect, Miss Weasley. All you needed to do was to add more sopophorous bean juice and mix it more properly. Take five points to Gryffindor," Hoffman said. Rose flushed pink with pleasure.

Then he glanced at Scorpius' potion, which was white. "Good try, Mister Malfoy. You were very close. Five points to Slytherin," Hoffman said, smiling kindly at Scorpius.

Then, Hoffman looked at Albus' potion. His mouth dropped open in shock. "_Amazing!_ It's the perfect creamy color, but it's shimmering... this means... _impossible!_ You've managed to make the advanced version of the Sweetening Potion without any instructions whatsoever."

Albus turned very red and looked at his shoes. Everyone was staring jealously at him, especially Rose. "How did you do it? The advanced Sweetening Potion is OWL level. Simply brilliant..." Hoffman trailed off, staring disbelievingly at Albus.

"It wasn't m-much, sir. I just knew the theory, and I—um—knew the p-properties of the ingredients. Anyone could have d-done it, sir," Albus stuttered, very embarrassed. "I may have just g-gotten lucky."

"Nonsense. You don't just get lucky at these things," Hoffman said jovially.

Albus swelled at his praise. It _hadn't _been luck, after all—not really. He had used his own genius to make the potion, and he had outsmarted even the textbook.

"So," Hoffman continued, "do you know what the advanced potion does?"

Albus considered for a moment. Then he started to speak, and the stutter disappeared. He felt infinitely more confident when he spoke about Potions. "Well sir, I'd assume — considering that adding a drop of the original potion to any food is supposed to make it sweeter — that a drop of the advanced version would cause that food to taste like the sweetest thing you've ever tasted."

"Perfect. You are absolutely correct. Take fifty points to Slytherin. You deserve it. Mind you, the other teachers will be hearing about this. I doubt a student with this much talent has entered Hogwarts for many generations."

"Er," Albus said shyly, the stutter returning to his voice, "—I'd p-prefer if you didn't share."

Hoffman gave him a curious look. "All right then. Go back to your seat," Hoffman ordered. "This is what we'll be doing for the next few lessons. However, I would like it if Albus gives a little speech later about how he made such a flawless potion."

Albus paled and gulped. Unlike James, he dreaded public speaking.

"Class dismissed," Hoffman announced when the bell rang a moment later, still giving Albus searching looks, as if he just couldn't believe that Albus had managed to make an OWL-level Potion during the very first lesson of his first year. Most of the Gryffindors gave Albus dirty looks as they passed him out of the classroom, several of them muttering, "_Nerd_" under their breaths. Unlike the rest of them, though, Elina Lyon smiled at him, making his heart beat wildly out of control.

When Elina walked off, a less-than-joyous Rose took her place in front of Albus. She was practically steaming, and when she spoke, it was with a glare and in a snarl. "When did _you _get to be so smart? _I'm _supposed to be the smart one."

Albus winced horribly. Why were Rose and the rest of his family being so mean to him? Couldn't they just accept him as a Slytherin? "Rose, _why?_" he asked, looking at her sadly, hurt practically emanating from him. "Why can't we still be friends? Why do you hate me so much now?"

A flash of doubt crossed Rose's face, as if she had regretted her outburst. Unable to come up with a satisfactory reply, she simply turned around and followed the rest of the Gryffindors out of the classroom.

Their next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was also, unfortunately, with the Gryffindors. Albus remembered that this class was taught by Professor Irving—the professor that had caused him that brief moment of pain after his Sorting. It had seemed like Irving had really hated Albus—but why?The Gryffindors were already seated and fooling around when the three Slytherins reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, but Irving was not there yet. Albus sat down in the back as usual, fidding with his collar nervously. Hadn't Wyatt Hemley the Slytherin prefect said that Irving favored the Gryffindors and absolutely despised the Slytherins?

After several seconds of baited breaths, a man in long blue robes swooped into the classroom. Irving looked rather frightening to Albus, an opinion that was not changed with a malicious smile curled his lips. "All right, people. And Slytherins, obviously."

The Gryffindors roared with laughter. Albus gritted his teeth at the lame—yet still hurtful—joke.

"Now, when I call your name, raise your hand," Irving ordered, indolently tapping the list of students in the class with his wand as he read each name aloud. Role call continued without issues, at least until Irving got to Albus' name. "Albus Potter. Ah... the disappointment of the century. Your father must be _very _proud." There were a few appreciative chuckles from the Gryffindors at Irving's comment.

Albus steamed silently in his seat, imagining feeding Irving deadly poison. Still, he was glad to see that Rose wasn't laughing, and neither was Elina Lyon.

When Irving rolled up his list, he said, "Today, we're going to be practicing Disarming. I know it's early in the year, but it's very important. I have high expectations for my class, and have decided to accelerate the Defense Against the Dark Arts education, in case there is another war. And even if there isn't, there's no hurt in knowing more advanced spells earlier. You'll find that my class is one of the most difficult, both mentally and physically. The Dark Arts are dangerous. In a perfect world, they wouldn't exist and we wouldn't have to worry about them. However, they do exist, and that's why we need to defend ourselves today. To Disarm, you must say _expelliarmus _loudly and clearly. No wand movement is required, and the spell will not work properly if you flourish your wand too much. Keep your hand stiff when you say the incantation. I will pair you all up. When I do, begin casting the Disarming Charm at each other. Only Disarming allowed—I don't want any accidents!"

The mood of the classroom dropped instantaneously when Irving said that he would choose the pairs. Albus sunk down in his seat, mumbling, "_Not Derlwin. Please, not Derlwin..._"

"Weasley and Malfoy," said Irving. Both Scorpius and Rose groaned and gave each other hateful glares. They hadn't gotten along well at all on the train ride. "Derlwin and Potter."

Albus deflated in horror.

Irving smiled sinisterly at Albus as Derlwin swaggered over to stand in front of him. "All right, Potter. I'm going to go easy on you now," Derlwin said smugly, taking out his wand.

"_Expelliarmus,_" said Albus, very bored. He had already practiced this spell this weekend when learning how to defend himself. The bullies of Hogwarts were the Dark Arts that Albus needed to fight against at the moment, not Death Eaters. He was satisfied to see that Derlwin's wand spun from his grip, and Albus reached up to catch it, doing so without any trouble.

At once, Irving swooped over in an almost bat-like manner. "Ten points from Slytherin for trickery," he snapped.

Albus opened his mouth in anger, but quickly closed it again. There was no point arguing with someone like Irving.

The next few minutes passed torturously. Albus had Disarmed Derlwin about twenty times, and had nearly one hundred points taken away for it. Finally, Albus quit doing anything and let Derlwin Disarm him. But Derlwin was so thick that he couldn't even Disarm Albus once, since he kept flourishing his wand and causing the spell's aim to go awry. When Derlwin finally managed to cause a jet of light to shoot out of his wand, Albus automatically yelled, "_Protego!_" which blocked the spell perfectly.

Irving strutted toward Albus and Derlwin, pleased that he had caught Albus doing something wrong again. "Only Disarming allowed!" he said gleefully. "Twenty points from Slytherin for cheating. It's expected from a _Slytherin_."

Albus clenched his fists, but spent the rest of the class doing nothing whatsoever. Derlwin had still not managed to Disarm him, but had managed to hit several of the desks and caused them to disintegrate. Scorpius seemed to be going easy on Rose, who had Disarmed him once or twice. Oswald Nesbitt, on the other hand, was getting beaten quite badly. Like Derlwin, Oswald wasn't very bright. Unlike Derlwin, however, he wasn't very strong or handsome.

"It's time to pack up. Good job, Gryffindors. You have no homework. Slytherins: Write two rolls of parchment on why Slytherins should never learn Dark Magic," said Irving, flicking his wand to open the doors so that the students could get out.

Oswald's mouth dropped open. He was sporting several bruises, though Irving didn't seem to care. Oswald drew himself up to his full—but unimpressive—height and clenched his fists. "You, sir, are a pompous, unfair git!" he all but shouted.

"Thirty points from Slytherin!" said Irving, grinning sadistically, as if Oswald's injuries were a source of amusement for him. "And detention next Sunday, Nesbitt. Four o'clock, my office."

Albus and Scorpius sighed resignedly, grabbing their bags. They both very much agreed with Oswald, but they weren't stupid enough to voice their thoughts. Albus was in such a bad mood that he skipped dinner, not wanting to have to deal with even more insults from the rest of the school. Instead, he made for the Hogwarts grounds, remembering that he had tea with Hagrid.


	6. The Accidental Seeker

**-Chapter Six-**

**The Accidental Seeker**

Albus nervously approached the small and ragged hut that stood near the Forbidden Forest. He was worried about what Hagrid would think. Even though Hagrid hadn't been outright nasty to Albus, he had still shouted "NO!" loudly after his Sorting, signaling that he hadn't taken the news well at all. Would Hagrid still want to have tea with him? Albus reached the Hagrid's hut and knocked, his hand shaking. _Please let him not hate me. Please let him not hate me._ Before he could continue his mantra, the door banged open.

"Al! I was expectin' yeh!" Hagrid said happily. "Come'n, come'n." He stepped aside to let Albus in his humble house. A huge bed stood in one corner, and in the middle of the hut there was a large table with an even larger chair. Hagrid pulled up a smaller one for Albus, still looking jovial.

Albus, relieved that Hagrid was acting as he usually did towards him, sat down while Hagrid bustled about in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Hagrid placed a tray of hot tea on the table in front of him. Albus reached for it and brought it to his mouth. When he took a sip, it scalded his tongue, and he had to put it back down on the table quickly.

"Al, why don't yeh tell me 'bout yer firs' week?" said Hagrid, finally sitting down. The whole hut shook when he did. He found his own cup of tea and chugged it down so fast that it seemed to have caused his beard to steam.

"Er—it was all right," Albus lied, looking down at his teacup in order to avoid meeting Hagrid's eyes.

"Was it really, Al?" Hagrid asked sympathetically, his black eyes gentle as he looked at him.

Albus tried to keep the tears firmly behind his eyelids, but it was no use. "N-No!" he sobbed, feeling quite like a child. "Rose hates me, James is out for revenge, and the rest of the family is ignoring me! _I just can't take this anymore!_"

Hagrid put a heavy, yet still comforting, arm around Albus' shoulder. He was still grateful, even though his chair sunk a few inches into the ground. "They'll understan' one day, Al," Hagrid assured him. "Yeh'll prove yerself to them one day."

Albus wiped his eyes, then sighed, "I-I don't think so. There's nothing I can do to 'prove myself' or whatever. I'm the loser of the school. I'm beneath dirt. I'm a Slytherin, and I'm a traitor, too. Why don't I just pack and get out? It's obvious that nobody wants me here." The tears restarted their journey down his face, and he rubbed at it, trying fruitlessly to not be a baby.

Hagrid continued to pat his back, muttering soothing words. "It's all right. Yeh've still got me. I won' abandon yeh—yeh can count on that! I'll talk some sense in ter James. Tha' boy's got it comin' for him. And yeh, Al, yeh go stan' up fer yerself and show 'em all what yer made of! I've heard plenty o' things about yer, how yeh're a magical genius and all! Yeh've got talent, and yeh've got to use it to show 'em what yeh're worth."

Albus felt a lot better. His tears finally stopped, and he began to sip his tea slowly. _What a stupid big baby I am, _he thought, scolding himself. _Me crying like a loser isn't going to help me and the rest of the Slytherins from getting kicked around, will it?_

_I'll just have to show them what I'm made of. _With that though, a smirk curled Albus' lips. Unfortunately, his fantasies of bringing glory back to Slytherin were interrupted when he noticed some papers stacked next to him. "What's this?" he said, having just spotted the September 1st edition of the_ Daily Prophet _on the table. He grabbed it and opened to a random page.

"Eh? Oh—er—that's jus' week ol' news," Hagrid said offhandedly as Albus glanced at it.

Ignoring him, he let out a gasp of surprise after looking through the page. He hadn't expected to see anything about Hogwarts in the newspaper, but the article he had opened to was:

_THE HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WIZARDRY MAKES A SUSPICIOUS REQUEST_

_Yesterday, on August 31st, Headmaster Gale Triton of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry made an interesting request for Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Triton, age 32, ordered that a high-security item from the famous and dependable bank be transferred to Hogwarts. The reasons for the transfer are extremely suspicious, and several members of the Ministry raised an eyebrow at Triton's actions. This item, though its mysterious identity has been kept secret, has been confirmed to be dangerous and unique. Due to his contacts, Triton seemed to have snagged it for himself. According to sources inside the school, he seems to have decided to keep it there in a secret location. One must wonder what exactly he wants with it, and he what he wishes to use it for at Hogwarts—where it will certainly be in more danger of being stolen._

Albus shoved the newspaper away, a bit confused. "Hagrid? Why did Headmaster Triton want a high security object from Gringotts to be kept at Hogwarts?"

Hagrid, who had been chugging down another cup of tea messily, jumped in his seat, causing the house to shake again. "Ah... yeh shouldn't worry 'bout tha', Al."

"But," Albus muttered, a bit annoyed, "isn't Gringotts supposed to be the safest place to keep things?"

"Well, yeah. But sometimes Hogwarts is safer," Hagrid said fondly, "especially wi' the right protection 'round it. It's almost impossible ter steal somethin' from here."

"Do you know what this object is?" Albus asked eagerly, leaning forward. "The article says that it was confirmed to be dangerous, since Gringotts was keeping it in a high-security vault. Why would Triton want to use it for, do you think?"

Hagrid winced and wiped some tea from his beard. "Not allowed ter tell," he grunted a moment later. "Don't know much 'bout it meself. Top secret, it is. Triton's got his reasons, but I don' have ter like them." Hagrid paused and added disapprovingly, "He's not someone who's made the best choices. All I know is that he's takin' a great gamble—and maybe tha's what he _wants_."

* * *

The next week passed just as quickly (and badly) as the first. Albus, Scorpius, and even crybaby Oswald were now mostly numb to all the insults. Much to Albus' relief, Lacker hadn't tried to kill him yet. He hoped that Lacker had forgotten about him, but doubted it. It was more likely that Lacker was biding his time, hoping to catch Albus off guard. Meanwhile, Rose hadn't attempted to heal her friendship with Albus, either. She had simply ignored him, though, occasionally, flashes of guilt would cross her face. James, on the other hand, was still being exceptionally cruel. Every day, he'd find some way to bully him, whether it was to call him "Alpus Snivellus" in the hallways, or to hex him when his back was turned. It was taking all of Albus' energy not to burst into tears every five seconds, but he managed it. He kept a cool, cold mask on, trying to hide his crumbling insides.

The classes were similarly filled with torture. The other students took every opportunity to insult the Slytherins, and the professors didn't like them very much, either. In fact, the only class that Albus enjoyed in the second week of school was Potions. Hoffman was an excellent teacher, and he let Albus work apart from the class so that he wouldn't be dragged down by his less-than-high-achieving peers. "This is spectacular, Mr. Potter! You invented a potion, and it's just the second week of school! I'm extremely jealous—and I'll say it again: You're a genius, plain and simple," said Hoffman, handing Albus back his vial after sampling it.

"T-Thank you, sir. A drop of this potion should make any f-food taste like your favorite dish. It worked, didn't it?" Albus asked nervously, shrugging off the praise.

"Certainly it did, Mr. Potter," Hoffman said brightly. "It works perfectly. I tried it on some simply dreadful dates, and now they taste like my specialty—buttered toast."

Albus glowed with happiness. He had been scribbling down possible recipes for the potion and complicated diagrams of ingredients' properties for the whole week, and all his hard work had paid off.

"If this got out to the public, you'd be famous. An eleven-year-old boy that's already cleverer than most professional Potionists. It usually takes months to develop and invent a complicated potion like this, but you managed it in under a week," Hoffman told him. "A Potions prodigy is what you are, that's what."

Albus blanched. "P-Please don't t-tell, sir. I don't w-want anyone to know," he begged.

Hoffman sighed, looking a bit amused. "Your shyness will be the end of you, Mr. Potter. But I'll respect your wishes."

After Potions, Albus dragged himself to Defense Against the Dark Arts, his enthusiasm gone and replaced with dread. He knew that Irving would be no better than last week, and he was right. "Can anyone tell me what a nonverbal spell is?" Irving asked, lazily putting his feet up on the desk as he surveyed his students with his unnerving ice-blue gaze. Scorpius raised his hand, but Irving only sneered at him and said, "Slytherins aren't capable of actually answering questions—they aren't smart enough. Now, does any _Gryffindor _know the answer?"

Scorpius gritted his teeth while Irving called on Derlwin, who gave a completely messed up definition of nonverbal spells.

"Good job, Mister Derlwin. Take ten points to Gryffindor," said Irving nevertheless, apparently not caring that Derlwin had gotten the question almost completely wrong. "Nonverbal spells are, obviously, casted without speaking. They are useful because of their advantage in duels. Can anyone tell me what that advantage is?" Irving continued.

Scorpius raised his hand again, rolling his eyes. Irving disregarded him once more and called on Rose. "Yes, Miss Weasley?"

"It's more useful in dueling than anywhere else, sir. If you use a nonverbal spell, your enemy will not know what to expect and will therefore be unprepared," said Rose smugly, sounding as though she had just swallowed a textbook.

"Correct. Take ten more points. Now, we won't be learning nonverbal spells until sixth year, but I found it necessary to mention them. There is also another, more discrete, branch of magic. Does anyone know what this is?" Irving asked.

There was silence.

"Nobody? I'm talking about _wandless _magic. It's extremely difficult, and you won't be learning it at all at Hogwarts. There's also nonverbal and wandless magic combined, but you have to be extremely powerful or determined to manage it. Albus Dumbledore was able to perform this magic."

Albus straightened up in his seat. He wondered if he could invent spells, just like he could invent potions. He wanted to be as great as his namesakes. Had Dumbledore invented spells while he was at Hogwarts? Had _Severus_ _Snape_?

* * *

The third Saturday of September dawned bright and warm, and Albus felt a bit happier than he usually did. He got out of bed and departed for the common room, glad that there were no classes today. He would finally have a break from the constant insults, and maybe he'd even be able to get started on inventing a new potion. When he got to the common room, he checked Severus Snape's portrait, which was always empty. Today was no change. Then he noticed a rather large crowd of Slytherins around the bulletin board, all of them talking excitedly.

"There's a Seeker position available!"

"I wonder what poor idiot will get the spot this time."

"Tryouts? _Whatever._ We're not going to win. It's been nearly two decades since we've won a single match."

"I'm trying out, I guess, but there's no way I'll be able to beat James Potter. He didn't lose a single match last year, and he was a first year!"

"I'm going to go watch the tryouts, just see how pathetic the players are this year."

"Bet you five galleons that the new Seeker gets the Snitch confused with somebody's nose like last time."

The crowd dispersed, uninterested and downcast, as Albus made his way to the bulletin board. Immediately, he saw that there was a sheet of parchment pinned to it that said, in messy handwriting:

**Slytherin Quidditch Tryouts are today at 9 o'clock in the morning. The Seeker position is the only one open! Bring your own broom. First years aren't allowed to try out, according to rules. (Sorry!)**

Albus turned around to see Hemley standing behind him. "Did you write that notice?" he asked.

"Yeah," Hemley said, letting out a deep sigh. "Slytherin never wins the House Cup or Quidditch Cup, though. Gryffindor always does. It's your bloody brother. With James Potter as Seeker, no one else is ever going to win."

Albus scowled. His brother James was considered a Quidditch prodigy, and had been allowed on the Gryffindor team his first year—though this may have been because his last name was Potter. Albus agreed with Hemley, though; James was certainly an amazing Seeker. No one could beat him.

_Except maybe me,_ he thought glumly.

Once Hemley had left, Albus imagined himself holding the Golden Snitch high above his head while decked in emerald and silver robes. He imagined the Slytherins cheering and whooping and the commentator saying, '_Albus Severus Potter catches the Snitch and beats his brother, snatching the Quidditch Cup for Slytherin!_' He grinned stupidly and decided that he wanted to fly for fun today. After breakfast, he made his way to the shack on the Hogwarts grounds that held the old brooms that were used for first-year flying lessons. He doubted that there would be much security around it—nobody cared about those old broomsticks. He was right; the shack wasn't even locked. He seized one of the better—though still ancient—broomsticks.

He stood there and closed his eyes for a moment, delving deep into his fantasies. He could imagine it now—him flying around at top speed on a Lightningbolt like James', inches away from the Snitch while his brother remained miles away. The Albus inside his imagination grinned, pulled closer to the Snitch, and closed his fingers around it, causing the stands to erupt in cheers and a fantasy girl that looked a lot like Elina Lyon to squeal, "You did it! You're my _hero_!" The fantasy crowd jumped off the stands and started towards him. When they reached him, they threw him on their shoulders and carried him off the pitch, chanting his name lovingly. The fantasy Elina was hoisted up next to him, and she planted a kiss on his cheek. To end this wonderful daydream, Albus imagined James throwing a tantrum by trashing his expensive broomstick and being pelted by hexes that made him turn into a pile of tomatoes.

Albus smirked to himself as he made his way to the Quidditch pitch. Unsurprisingly, the Slytherin tryouts had already started. Only a few people were trying out, and Hemley looked a bit dispirited, as none of them were any good. Albus decided that he didn't want to be seen by them. He doubted that him flying around on a stolen broomstick was allowed, and he didn't want to answer awkward questions, and as a result, get put in detention. Choosing a secluded location that was behind the pitch, Albus got on his broomstick. He hovered there for a moment, keeping his feet only one inch off the ground.

Then, without warning, he heard raucous laughter behind him. He whirled around, the fear evident on his face. It was Lacker and his thugs, and they did _not_ look happy. Albus reached inside his pocket for his wand, but, to his horror, did not find it. He couldn't believe that he had been so stupid—he must have left his wand on his dresser in his dormitory. _That's it. I'm going to die. I'm already dead. I'm a dead fool. I'm a very, _very_ dead fool, _he thought, shaking from head to foot.

Even worse, Lacker and his thugs were also sporting broomsticks—broomsticks that were far newer and faster than Albus'. "There you are, Slytherin slime," cackled Lacker. He looked positively mad. "You won't escape from us this time!"

A sudden thought hit Albus. It was time to show Lacker what Slytherin was made of. Instead of preparing for his doom like a pathetic loser, he would try to avert it. Without answering Lacker, Albus kicked off the ground. Lacker, who was caught off guard, screamed, "DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

Albus pushed his broomstick faster and faster. He was nothing but a blur on the grounds of Hogwarts, and it was obvious that Lacker and his thugs were surprised at how well he could fly. Albus, oddly enough, felt exhilaration blaze through him like fire. He always felt invincible in the air. _Well, I can't use speed to my advantage. That means I need to get rid of them another way..._

The thugs closed in on Albus, their brooms much faster than his. Albus rocketed into the sky as they crashed painfully into each other where he had just been a second ago. They dropped to the ground like anvils, groaning and clutching their faces. _Two thugs down and four left,_ Albus thought, smirking down at them. He quickly glanced behind him to see that Lacker was red in the face with fury.

"You idiots!" Lacker yelled at the two cronies that Albus had tricked. "He's on a Comet 260!"

Albus cackled—a cackle even worse than Lacker's—and sped up, determined to use all the energy in his broomstick. The broomstick didn't matter—not really. It was the flier that was important, that controlled the broomstick, and Albus was sure he was better than Lacker and his cronies. "Can you go slower, please?" he taunted, acting braver than he felt.

Another thug sped up, his teeth bared in an ugly snarl, pulling up to Albus so that they were neck and neck. The gears in Albus' brain turned faster, and he was hit with another idea. He let out an exhilarated laugh, feeling more alive than ever before. He pushed his broomstick on, darting left and right to confuse his attacker. Then, completely without warning, he stopped in his tracks jerkily. The thug, unprepared for such an abrupt halt, went spinning out of control and smashed into the ground.

_Three down, three left, _Albus thought, still laughing his head off. Lacker was still in the game, and so were two of his cronies. Albus led them onto the Quidditch pitch, but was now out of ideas.

Just then, he saw the Golden Snitch. It was just hovering a few yards from his face, and for a moment, Albus wondered why it was there. _The Slytherin tryouts are going on, _he realized, the thought slowly inching through his brain. Still not comprehending the situation, he reached out and grabbed it without a second thought, like the action had been automatic.

Suddenly, as if the weak fluttering of the Snitch's wings in his hands had given him some unknown strength, he knew what to do. He dove straight at the stands, so fast that the air rattled his teeth. Lacker and his cronies stupidly followed Albus, just like he had expected. At the last moment, Albus rose out of the way, letting out an excited whoop. A split second's hesitation would have caused him to run into the stands but he had been lightning fast and had avoided injury. Fortunately for Albus and unfortunately for them, it was too late to change direction for Lacker and his thugs. They crashed into the stands so hard that a part of the row of seats above them broke off and fell on top of them, burying them in heavy debris.

Albus touched down on the ground, leaned against the stands, and sneered, "You guys should really work on flying slower. Any faster, and you'll cause the whole pitch to fall on top of you. I wouldn't want that, would I?" In that moment, he wasn't stuttering or spluttering. Instead, he was emanating a cruel satisfaction. A sadistic smirk curled his lips, but it slid off like liquid when he noticed that there was utter silence, besides Lacker's groans of pain. Albus turned around to see that the whole Slytherin Quidditch team was paused in midair, their mouths open in shock.

"AMAZING!" Hemley yelped. "You... just... outsmarted... _Lacker!" _

"Were y-you all w-watching?" The stutter returned to Albus' voice; he was horrified that he had been caught flying.

"Yes! We saw everything from the beginning! You're on a Comet 260 and you nearly killed the Gryffindor thugs without laying a hand on them!" Hemley said, his mouth still hanging open in awe.

"I g-got lucky," Albus mumbled, shuffling his feet, his face aflame. He seemed to be saying this a lot now.

"Don't be modest! You're going to be Seeker, and nobody disagrees. With your trickery and cunning, Slytherin has a chance to win the Quidditch Cup!" Hemley announced to the pitch. The other players nodded in agreement, and even the other students who had been trying out for Seeker looked pleased. Albus hastily tried to refuse, but Hemley didn't give him the chance. "Welcome to the team! You should get a better broom, though. Ask your parents for one."

Albus gulped. He hadn't written to his parents once—he was afraid about their reactions. They hadn't sent him a letter, either, which probably meant that they didn't want to talk to him.

And then there was the whole _James_ issue. Albus had fantasized about playing against James and winning, but it hadn't actually been a real possibility. James was too good, and he hated losing. He'd murder Albus in his sleep if he found out about this...

"Mr. Potter, m'boy, you are full of surprises!" said a voice from behind Albus. He whirled around to see Professor Hoffman strolling out of the castle. Hoffman turned his attention to Lacker and his cronies, which were feebly stirring in the stands. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention with me, Lacker. Six against one—utterly despicable. And somehow, you still lost."

Albus couldn't help but grin at Lacker's misery.

"Marvelous flying, Mr. Potter. Do try to win the Quidditch Cup. Gryffindor is a bit too arrogant nowadays. I'll be sure to inform the other professors," Hoffman said, not noticing the smile slide off Albus' face.

Albus had guarded the secret of his love of flying carefully, and it was all leaking out. He felt sick. Then he tried to push the bad feeling away and tried to feel happier. He had the chance to finally beat his brother at something—and he had already beat Lacker!

Then Albus saw a flash of vivid orange bobbing through the stands. A closer look confirmed his suspicions: It was Rose. He was horrified. She had been spying on the Slytherin tryouts and had heard everything. Rose knew that he was just as talented as his brother and was now on the Slytherin team, and she was running off to tell James and the rest of Gryffindor. His secret was officially out. Not just among the professors, but the whole school.

Albus was _so_ dead.


	7. Midnight Duels & Mysterious Encounters

**-Chapter Seven-**

**Midnight Duels and Mysterious Encounters**

Early the next morning, Albus screwed up his courage and decided to write a letter to his parents. He was terrified of their reactions, because he was sure it couldn't be good. His father had assured him that it wouldn't matter if he was Sorted into Slytherin, but, considering the rest of the family's rage at his Sorting, Albus supposed that it had been a lie. All of them had always known that he was an outcast, but this had been the final proof. He knew that it was likely that every single one of his cousins had already wrote home and blabbed to the whole family that he was in Slytherin, but that didn't stop Albus from clinging on to the small sliver of hope that his parents didn't know yet.

It took him a very long time to write his letter. He would scratch out sentences that told too much about his miserable time so far at Hogwarts. Finally, he produced a vague, happy-sounding letter that Albus knew would fool nobody:

_Dear Dad, Mum, and Lily,_

_I'm having a great time at Hogwarts so far. I like all my classes and I think I'm doing well in them. My favorite class is Potions. I'm a Seeker now. I have permission to have a broomstick since I'm playing for the team. Can you send me one? _

_Love, _

_Albus_

Albus paused after neatly writing his signature. He hadn't mentioned once that he was in Slytherin—even though they probably already knew. He quickly scribbled down an extra line:

_P.S. I'm in Slytherin. Please don't hate me like everybody else._

Still not satisfied with his letter, Albus dragged himself to the Owlery. He didn't exactly know the way, but he wandered around for fifteen minutes until he found it. To his surprise, Albus wasn't the only one sending a letter this early.

Elina Lyon was stroking a large barn owl.

Albus was suddenly incapable of speech.

Elina whirled around, evidently startled. Her long and wavy light brown hair looked reddish in the early morning sun, a fact that did not help Albus' voice return to him. She gave him a small smile and waved enthusiastically. "Hiya, Albus!" she said in a bright, light voice.

Albus opened in his mouth to reply, wanting to say something funny or witty. However, the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Eels' eyes are used for swelling in most potions. Some properties of aconite nectar are—" Albus clamped a hand over his mouth, horrified and humiliated. He couldn't _believe _that he had blurted potions nonsense in front of Elina, who probably thought he was an absolute idiot.

Instead of rolling her eyes in disgust, she giggled, "Really? That's interesting. What were you saying about aconite nectar?"

Albus, confused, wondered whether she was making fun of him. He searched her expression and realized that she was being sincere. "T-Thanks," Albus stammered, blushing hopelessly. "D-Do you like Potions?"

Elina shook her head sadly. "Not really—I mean, it's interesting and all that—but I'm completely awful at it. It's probably my worst subject."

Albus cocked his head, even more puzzled than before. Potions was so unbelievably easy! How could Elina not understand it? How could _anyone _not understand it? "Uh—I'm n-not so good either," Albus mumbled, trying to concentrate on anything but how unbelievably pretty she was.

Elina rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Liar. You're absolutely amazing at it. You're amazing at everything, now that I think of it. Everyone is so jealous, especially Rose. She talks about you a lot."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, shocked.

"Yeah. She said she misses you. Then, she said that she hated you. I don't know what to believe!" said Elina.

Albus looked at the ground, annoyed at Rose. Why was she being so stubborn? "I guess Rose and I aren't friends anymore," he sighed.

"I'm sure that isn't true. I know Rose—I am one of her best friends, after all—and she'll come back to you," Elina assured him.

Albus shrugged dispiritedly.

"Anyways, I was just coming up here to visit my owl, Feathers. She's a bit jittery sometimes, so I wanted to check on her," Elina explained. Then she smiled widely at Albus, flashing him her blinding white teeth. "You know, you're a bit jittery yourself. Stop shaking so much!" she said playfully, patting him on the shoulder as she left the Owlery, causing him to turn red, stumble, and nearly crash into the wall.

It took Albus a few seconds to recover from the rapid spinning of his head, but he finally collected his thoughts. Elina had somehow managed to cheer him up. Rose missed him, too! Maybe one day she would forgive him, and they would be friends again.

After giving his letter to Herwina and sending her off, Albus hurried to the Great Hall. He tried to slip inside unnoticed—but no such luck. Many Gryffindors were sending him death glares, and several people tried to trip him on his way to the Slytherin table. Then he realized why they were being worse than usual.

_Uh-oh. They must know I'm the Seeker. _

Albus' suspicions were proved correct when James and a few of his friends cornered him by the Slytherin table. "I heard from a valuable source that you're on the Slytherin Quidditch team," James sneered, pushing Albus' face into his plate.

"You heard it from Rose," Albus growled, wiping butter from his cheek. He didn't stutter like he usually did, determined not to let James kick him around anymore.

"Maybe," James said mysteriously. "But is it true?"

"Yes," Albus answered icily.

James gave an obnoxious guffaw of laughter. One of his friends seized a glass of orange juice and poured it on Albus' head. Albus, who was used to this by now, simply grabbed a napkin. "A nerdy Slytherin loser like you, a Seeker? Don't make me laugh," James snorted, choking with mirth.

"I wasn't trying to make you laugh, you dunderhead," said Albus coldly. He realized that some of the orange juice was seeping through his shirt and wondered how to get rid of it. James snickered again and shoved Albus' face into his plate for a second time. Seething, he resisted the urge to stab his fork in James' too-handsome face.

"All right then. _I'll_ still win. You're not good at anything—you're just a disgrace. You know, I was reading Dad's letter the other day, and he says that your Sorting was disappointing," James jeered. Then a wide smile split his face. "I think he's going to disown you. Not like he wouldn't already have—_I_ was always his favorite."

"SHUT UP!" Albus screamed at the top of his voice. "DAD NEVER SAID THAT! DON'T LIE!" Albus felt the tears forming behind his eyelids, but he fought to keep them at bay. _Dad would never do that! He said it didn't matter to him what House I was Sorted into! _Albus couldn't stand to disappoint his father, who was practically his role model.

"Believe what you want," James said offhandedly.

Albus couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and whipped out his wand. "I'm better than you, James. Want to try me?" said Albus, his eyes smoldering with anger.

There were chants of "Fight! Fight!"

James simply laughed, but Albus couldn't see the joke.

"All right, little brother. We'll duel, tonight at midnight. Who's your second?" James said, lazily waving off the hopeful spectators.

Albus thought about it for a moment, then realized that he had no friends. "I don't need a second," he said.

James smirked knowingly and rolled his eyes. "To make it fair, I won't bring a second either. Meet me in the Trophy Room. Don't be late," he said.

Albus nodded, his eyes still blazing, before thinking the offer through. He wanted to beat James so badly that he didn't even consider the possibility that it could be a trap.

But Scorpius had evidently thought of it. "Potter," he warned, "perhaps that isn't the best idea."

Albus whirled around, glaring at Scorpius. "Shut it, Malfoy. This doesn't concern you at all!"

Scorpius shrugged, though he looked very annoyed. "Don't come crying to me when you get expelled."

"I won't," Albus said coldly. He gripped his wand firmly. He was going to show James exactly what he was capable of.

_He's not going to get away with kicking me around and stomping on me anymore like he did my whole life. I'm not going to be that loser little brother anymore. I'm going to beat him at his own game and make him pay._

Revenge would be sweet.

* * *

Albus practiced obsessively for the whole day, and even tried so hard to accomplish nonverbal magic that his face nearly turned blue. By eleven o'clock at night, the only thing Albus could cast nonverbally was _expelliarmus_, which was the spell that Albus was most comfortable with. He was still very pleased—Albus seriously doubted that any other first year had managed to do any nonverbal magic at all. Perhaps he _was _the most talented student Hogwarts had seen in many generations, like Hoffman had said. Even so, he was quite sure that James already knew all the spells that Albus had learned, but he still had his secret weapon: his nonverbal Disarming Charm.

Finally, at precisely a quarter past eleven, Albus slipped out of the Slytherin common room with his wand clutched firmly in his hand. He walked a few paces, and the walls changed around him to reveal a way out of the maze of dungeons. Then, to his suprise, he heard some sniffling coming from a few yards away. He jumped a foot in the air, startled. Why was someone else out so late?

"W-Who is it?" Albus whispered, his heart beating faster than what was recommended.

"Potter? Is that you?" said a voice from within the darkness. A small, stumpy figure loomed from the darkness, and Albus recognized it to belong to Oswald Nesbitt.

"What are you doing here?" Albus demanded, quite a bit annoyed that Oswald had nearly given him a heart attack.

"I had a detention with Irving, remember? I forgot my wand in his office," Oswald moaned. "I've been wandering in this maze for _hours._"

"Well, you'd better wait some more. I've got something to do, and you're not coming," Albus said firmly.

"I need to come with you! I don't have anywhere else to go! The Bloody Baron has been this way three times. I repeat, the_ Bloody Baron!_" Oswald wailed.

"You can't come, okay!" said Albus, gritting his teeth.

"You can't be serious!" Oswald said in horror.

"Get out of the way!" Albus barked. "This is important to me!"

"What are you talking about?" Oswald asked. "Why are you out here, anyways?"

Albus groaned. "To duel my brother! I wouldn't break rules otherwise!" he said.

Oswald widened his eyes and eagerly said, "Can I come? I hate Potter, too—not you—the other Potter, obviously—he always teases me, you know—then again, everyone is mean to me—"

"Be quiet," Albus spat, "and just stay out of my way!" Without checking to see whether Oswald was coming or not, Albus ran away from the annoying, crybaby boy. The maze magically changed its walls to to let him through, and soon he was out of the dungeons.

Oswald had evidently decided to come with Albus, because he was only a few steps behind him. "You couldn't go any slower?" Oswald panted.

"No! I never asked you to come!" Albus snarled. Then, without warning, he heard faint footsteps coming from behind him. "What was that?" he gasped, whirling around to face Oswald. "Did you make that noise?"

"What noise?" Oswald asked, confused.

"How could you have not heard it?" Albus hissed. "Listen again!"

There was dead silence.

"What noise?" Oswald repeated stupidly.

"Forget it," Albus told him.

The two boys slowly climbed their way up to the Trophy Room. Albus was especially jittery, and kept throwing furtive looks over his shoulder. Every now and then, he heard footsteps and was sure that someone—or something—was following them. Then, a very good idea hit him. He held out a hand, signaling that Oswald should stop walking. Oswald did so, giving Albus a questioning look. Then, Albus slowly turned around, careful not to make any noise.

And he waited.

He heard the footsteps again. Whoever was following them was coming closer. Oswald gulped and looked like he was about to scream. Albus kicked him to warn him not to say anything—Albus had been looking for a good excuse to kick Oswald ever since the beginning of term, anyways. He had never liked the fool very much. Then, the culprit moved close enough for Albus and Oswald to see him.

It was Scorpius Malfoy.

"Oh, it's just you," Oswald said in relief. "I thought it was a monster."

"Of course it's not a monster," Albus said. "But I'm not so happy to see you either, Malfoy. I told you not to get involved!"

"_Please._ You would have done something stupid," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes.

"Everything was fine—except for Nesbitt—until you came along!" Albus told Scorpius.

"Why I am always the problem?" said Oswald, looking very hurt.

"SHUT UP!" Albus and Scorpius both yelled at him.

"Al? Are you already here?" said a voice from behind the three boys. Albus turned around in shock. Was someone _else_ trying to stop him from dueling James?

It was Rose.

Albus' mouth dropped open. "R-Rose! What are you doing here?" Albus gasped.

Rose looked at the ground, her cheeks flushed pink. "James told m-me that he was going to d-duel you, and I didn't w-want you to g-get hurt!" she blubbered, her brown eyes widening pleadingly.

Albus continued to stare at her in shock. _So, she still cares for me,_ he thought. Instead of running forward to hug her like he wanted to, he said, "Well, I'm not backing out now. James will think I'm a coward if I do."

Rose bit her lip nervously and widened her eyes even more. "I begged James not to go either, but he won't listen to me! Albus, please—oh, _please_!"

Albus teetered on indecision for a moment, then shook his head sadly. "No," he said simply.

Rose dropped her begging attitude, then glared at him and hissed, "You're so stupid, Al!"

Then, she turned to snarl at Oswald and Scorpius, "Nesbitt, Malfoy, what are you two doing here? James said that Al didn't have a second for the duel!"

"I don't!" said Albus angrily, answering for Oswald and Scorpius. "These two idiots followed me!"

Rose paused for moment, and then her face lit up. "All right, I'll make a deal with you, Al. If you go back, I'll convince James not to play this really nasty prank on you. He was planning to do it next Saturday, and I was supposed to help him with it—"

Albus' attitude changed immediately, and sparks nearly flew from his eyes. So, it had all been an act, then. She didn't care about him, not at all. He clenched his fists and fixed her with the most hateful look that he could muster. "I can't believe you, Rose! How could you even consider helping James and Derlwin to bully me? Don't you care about me at all? Don't you remember what we used to do together before—b-before I was Sorted into Slytherin?" he shouted, glaring so hard at her that she winced, as if the murderous look in his eyes was burning a hole through her.

"That's just it!" Rose screeched, recovering herself quickly. "How could you get Sorted there, Al? You're not a Slytherin. Everyone agrees with me!"

"You all never paid enough attention to me to decide anything about what I am! Do you remember, huh, Rose? I was always the outcast! You all hated me, and you never cared about me! You pretended like you cared, but you _didn't_! You would all bully, tease, and prank me just because I was that timid, stuttering little kid that was a pitiful disappointment, a stain on the perfect family picture! You were all wondering how your flawless little genes could make someone as much of a freak as me, weren't you? You call yourself _family_? What family abandons one of their own when he's Sorted into the 'wrong' House? What family bullies him just because he's different from them? What family turns his back on him and calls him a traitor when he's not? Well, you're _not_ my family, not when you're acting like this! I'm not going to get stepped on by you anymore! I'm a Slytherin no matter what, and I'm going show everyone what I can do!" Albus yelled, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles were white with strain and his nails were leaving indentations on his skin.

"Will you two idiots please shut up?" Scorpius whispered angrily. "Peeves or the ghost of Filch will hear you, and then we're all done for."

"I _hate _you," Albus told Rose coldly, pretending that Scorpius hadn't spoken. "You've never understood me, and now you've joined James' side." He said every word like he was throwing icy knives, wanting them to pierce into Rose's heart, wanting her to feel pain for treating him like this.

Rose's eyes filled up with tears, and Albus was hit with a stab of guilt. "Fine. But I'm coming with you three. I'm going to try to stop this duel before it starts," she said firmly, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Do whatever you want," said Albus emotionlessly, his expression hard. With those words, he continued along. Rose, the Gryffindor, joined the three Slytherin boys. It was a rather odd group, for no self-respecting Gryffindor would ever allow herself to be seen with Slytherins. After a few more minutes, the four first years finally reached the Trophy Room. "You three, you've got no business being here! Maybe you should go back now," Albus told Rose, Scorpius, and Oswald.

"No! Not until I've stopped this duel!" Rose hissed, crossing her arms determinedly.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Weasley. Potters are always stubborn, whether they're in Slytherin or Gryffindor," he said, smirking.

"And what are _you _doing here, Malfoy?" said Rose, her lips curling into a sneer. "Hoping to get a _friend_ or something? You're such a _loner_. It's no wonder the rest of the school thinks Slytherins are failures."

"Take that back, Weasley!" Scorpius snarled, looking as if he desperately wanted to slap her.

"I will _not_, Mal-_fail_," Rose snapped.

"Quiet! I hear someone coming. I think it's James," Albus ordered, waving a hand wildly about him to shush them.

"So, _Snivellus, _are you ready to lose?" said a cruelly delighted voice from the edge of the room. James had indeed arrived. and his wand was already out. "What's this? I thought you didn't have a second?" he said, looking confused. "Rose_, _what are _you _doing here?"

"James! Please call off the duel! You'll both get hurt—especially Albus," Rose begged, widening her eyes pleadingly again.

"Hey! I can fight just as well as James can!" Albus snarled at her.

"No you can't, little brother," said James.

Then, he spoke to Rose, "I suggest going back to bed, Rosie. Your little journey was pointless—I'm not backing out, and I don't think _Alpus Snivellus _will, either."

"You've got that right," said Albus threateningly.

"May I inform you that you're both stupid?" Scorpius asked sarcastically.

"No, you may not inform us of anything," said Albus. "Take crybaby Nesbitt and get out of here! I never asked you to come."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but made no move to leave.

Oswald bit his lip nervously and shook where he stood. "I think I want to go back! I don't like darkness! Or Peeves. Or the ghost of Filch," he wailed.

"You wanted to come in the first place!" said Albus, unable to believe Oswald's stupidity.

"Enough of this!" James grumbled. "Are we ever going to start?"

"Fine!" said Albus. "Get out of the way, everyone!" Rose, Scorpius, and Oswald backed up against the wall, their eyes darting back and forth from James to Albus as if they were watching a tennis match. They waited with baited breath, knowing that it was going to get ugly.

"Let's bow, little brother," James smirked. "Or don't you know the proper manners?"

"Shut up. Dad taught us this as soon as we could walk," said Albus. He bowed along with James, and both of them barely inclined their heads.

It felt strange to be dueling his brother. Not that he really cared—he wanted to beat James too badly. _We'll see who's the better brother now. It's time to take the 'perfect' out of James Perfect Potter and give him a taste of his own medicine. _

"One...two...three! GO!" James yelled.

Albus had started a split second early, not really caring if it was against the rules. "_Impedimenta_!_" _he roared.

James dodged the spell easily and sent a Bat-Bogey Hex toward Albus.

"_Protego_!" said Albus at the last moment, and the Shield Charm expanded in front of him and blocked the hex.

James wasn't giving up yet. An exhilarated look on his face, he bellowed, "_Petrificus totalus_!"

"_Oppilo Remitto_!" Albus gasped out. James' Full Body-Bind Curse was blocked in its tracks and sent back at him. James, who hadn't expected it, barely managed to jump out of the way.

"You're such a disgrace!" James spat unexpectedly. "You were always a slime-ball, but I can't believe you would just betray the family like this!"

Albus narrowed his eyes furiously, feeling an anger so strong that he could barely think straight. "I can't believe that _you _would betray _me! _I'm supposed to be your brother!"

"You're not my brother!" James snarled. "The Slytherins have always been cruel and cowardly, and you just willingly joined them!"

"I'm going to change Slytherin House! You can't be so prejudiced—that was years ago!" said Albus, raising his voice so much that it became a shout.

"_Ventus!_" James yelled. A blast of wind hurtled toward Albus, who blocked it just in time.

Albus was absolutely murderous. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to cause James pain. He collected all his concentration and whipped his wand through the air. He thought _'expelliarmus' _with all his might, letting the determination to win fill him up until he thought he would burst. It had worked. Completely silently, a jet of red light burst from the tip of his wand. James' mouth dropped open in shock. "_No way_! You _can't_ possibly know nonverbal magic!"

"Well, I do," said Albus, cackling nastily.

James, unfortunately, had managed to dodge the silent Disarming Charm. He skidded a few inches on the floor, struggling to get a grip on it. When he had composed himself, he straightened up and faced Albus with a look of disgust. "That's it, you little loser!" he snarled. "I'll tell you something fascinating: Everyone hates you! So do Dad and Mum!"

"DON'T!" Albus screamed so loud that his voice cracked with the strain. "DON'T YOU _DARE_ SAY THAT!"

Rage bubbled inside him, whirling around within him like a storm that fed on fury and hatred. An unfamiliar dark sensation took over his actions, and he began to glow bright green. His eyes glinted and locked on to their target. His irises glowed evilly, the feeling of darkness and hatred completely consuming him. The dark energy thundered through his veins, coming alive as it never had before. A breeze blew about him, causing his hair to whip around his face. At that moment, Albus released the power that was threatening to burst forth with a bang destructive enough to level the whole room. The corridor was engulfed in blinding green light for a moment, and James was blasted backwards with another flash of emerald. Somebody was cackling sinisterly, and a moment later, Albus realized that it was him.

James stirred feebly on the ground, groaning. Albus, smug, raised his wand and whispered, "_Expelliarmus._" James' wand was knocked out of his hand, and Albus caught it.

"What spell was that?" James gasped, struggling to get to his feet. "The spell with that bright green light?"

"You lost," Albus informed him, purposely avoiding telling him about the green light. He really didn't know what it was, but he wasn't about to complain.

"What spell was that?" James repeated, looking very dizzy.

"I'm not telling," said Albus, throwing James' wand back at him, aiming for the face. _How did I do it? _he thought as James caught his wand without it hitting his face.

Then, without warning, James burst into laughter.

Albus stepped back in alarm, gulping.

"I guess it doesn't really matter, little brother. I still win," said James, still laughing his head off.

"What are you talking about?" asked Albus, feeling fear stirring inside his stomach. Why was James so happy all of a sudden...?

"So, James, what is this juicy little prank on your brother that you wanted to show to me in the Trophy Room?" called a terribly familiar voice.

Albus whirled around and, to his utter horror, saw Luke Irving's outline looming closer.

He felt like a complete idiot. _Scorpius Malfoy was right! It was a trap! James told Irving to come here, and now Irving is going to expel me, Scorpius, and Oswald! _Albus thought in a panic. (Albus couldn't imagine Irving wanting to punish Rose and James, even though they had also broken the rules.)

"_Run,_" Albus hissed. They didn't need telling twice.

"HE'S GETTING AWAY!" James yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Albus as he ran. "QUICK! GET HIM!"

Albus did not look back. They hurtled through the corridor and then another, ripped through several tapestries, and finally came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was practically miles away from the Trophy Room. Stumbling and slipping, they halted in their tracks and tried to catch their breaths.

"Have we lost him?" Rose wheezed, clutching a stitch at her side.

"I—_told—_you, Potter. I—TOLD—you!" Scorpius Malfoy said, taking shaky breaths but still somehow managing to make his tone scathing.

"You're not helping," Albus snapped back.

"I'm scared," Oswald moaned.

"SHUT UP!" Albus, Scorpius, and Rose all yelled at him.

Then, causing all of their hearts to skip several beats, the doorknob of a nearby classroom rattled. Something shot from the door with a crash, upsetting a nearby statue of a portly wizard wearing a party hat. Oswald screamed at the top of his voice and attempted to make a run for it. To everyone's horror, he ran into a suit of armor and fell loudly to the floor. The resulting crashing and clanging was enough to wake up the whole castle.

Albus yelped, "PEEVES!" while Scorpius tried to strangle Oswald.

"Peeves—please," Rose begged. "Can we get through? We want to get back!"

Peeves, in all his grandeur, gave a squeal of delight. "Why should I help ickle firsties?"

"Because," Scorpius snarled, kicking Oswald at the same time, "we'll tell the Bloody Baron if you don't. We're Slytherins, in case you haven't noticed."

Peeves gave Scorpius a triumphant look that worried Albus greatly.

"Good try, Malfunctioning Mal-fail," Peeves jeered while Scorpius gritted his teeth, "but I'm sure the Bloody Baron would congratulate me for catching you _baddy baddy_ firsties."

Rose seemed to be trying a different approach when she said, "Please, Peeves. I work with James. We'll give you a really nice prank idea—you can try it on Malfunctioning Mal-fail, even!"

Scorpius leapt at her, his eyes alight with fury, and they both fell to the ground, attempting to throttle each other.

"Control your temper!" Albus yelled at them. Then he turned to the poltergeist. "Peeves, if you don't let us through—I'll—I'll—"

"What if Peevsie the Great does something for you?" Peeves suggested, his voice very oily. "THE _FREAK _POTTY IS OUT OF BED! THE _FAILURE_ POTTY! THE _SNAKEY _POTTY! RIGHT HEEEEEEERRRRRREE! DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" he screamed at the top of his voice, alerting all of the prefects, professors, and ghosts in the school of Albus' rule-breaking.

"RUN!" Albus shouted, his head spinning with fear of being caught. Rose and Scorpius leapt back to their feet, giving each other death glares. Oswald got up, too, stumbling as he did so. The three Slytherin misfits and the studious Gryffindor prankster ran for dear life. Albus' heart nearly stopped when he saw that the corridor ended at a locked door.

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Oswald wailed.

"Wait a moment," Rose gasped. "I'll try to unlock it! Now—what's the spell?"

"Move aside, you idiot," Scorpius snapped, whipping out his wand dramatically and pointing it at the doorknob. "_Alohomora!_"

There was a clicking noise and the four students ran inside, gasping for breath, relief seeping through them.

"Where's Peeves?" a voice from past the door asked, out of breath. Evidently, Irving had arrived and seemed to be standing just outside the dark room that the four first years were in.

"My brother! He's here somewhere! We have to catch him!" James yelped, sounding hysterical. "That swine! _How_ did he beat me?"

"Don't worry, James. We'll block all the ways back to the Slytherin common room. He won't escape," Irving promised. Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and Oswald heard James' and Irving's footsteps retreat.

"Do you reckon we can leave?" Albus asked nervously, pressing his ear against the door. Oswald tugged on Albus' robes, but was completely ignored. "Where are we?" Albus continued, directing his question towards Scorpius.

Oswald tugged on Albus' robes again. "_What _is it?" Albus said, annoyed.

Oswald squeaked and pointed mutely to the area behind the four first years. Albus whirled around, wondering what all this was about. Behind him was a huge spirit-like _thing_, which was squirting out white fog. It had a face, a terrible face with gaping eyes made out of dark mist, but it certainly wasn't human or anything similar. Its head distorted as it opened its great, misty mouth, its breath rattling and whispy. The four first years stared at it, their mouths agape. Then, opening its great foggy mouth, it let out a terrifying bellow and glowed white, blinding them and causing them to shield their eyes from the bright light. Albus just couldn't comprehend it. He couldn't even think. He just stood there, disbelieving, sure that it was some wacky nightmare. Then, reality struck him, and something clunked into place in his mind, finally causing him to realize that he was in danger.

He, Rose, Scorpius, and Oswald all screamed at the top of their voices.

"_RUUUUN_!" Albus roared, yanking the door open. They tore down the hallway, not looking back to see if the spirit had given chase. They ran all the way back to the dungeons, Rose leaving them to go to the Gryffindor dormitories. Albus stopped once they had reached the dungeons, clutching his side and panting heavily. He couldn't rest for long, though.

"Well, well, look who it is...," said a smug voice from in front of him. It was Irving. He was standing triumphantly beside James and Hoffman, the latter of which looked apologetically at Albus.

"Oh, no...," Albus, Scorpius, and Oswald whispered at the same time, paling .

"I suppose we've caught the wrongdoers," Irving sneered. "Detentions for you three and fifty points from Slytherin! You'd better thank your stars that I'm not reporting you to the Headmaster, or you'd be expelled. Keep quiet, or you will be."

Albus blanched.

James smirked. Albus was insane with fury at the injustice of it all. "What about James? He was out in the corridors, too! Why doesn't _he_ get a detention?" he demanded.

"James' situation is different. He informed me of your crimes, so I'll let him off," Irving replied, a sadistic smile on his face. He was clearly enjoying seeing the look of horror on Albus' face.

Albus gritted his teeth, but did not say anything else. _I hate Irving. If anyone's evil, it's him._

"Perhaps that's a bit unfair, Irving," Hoffman said uncertainly.

"_You _should be punishing your students yourself!" Irving spat at Hoffman.

"Yes, but sometimes I must also congratulate them," Hoffman growled back.

"What will you congratulate them on?" Irving laughed derisively. "On their excellent schemes and evil ambitions?"

"Yes," said Hoffman, smirking. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I'd like to take these three boys back to their common room. Non-Slytherins aren't allowed to go past this point." With those words, Hoffman led Albus, Scorpius, and Oswald back through the dungeon maze.

"That was a stupid thing you did there, Mr. Potter," Hoffman said once they had reached the blank wall with the hole. He pressed his wand into it, and there was a clicking noise. Hoffman slid it open, still giving Albus a disapproving look.

"Sorry, s-sir. I n-needed to," Albus muttered, returning to the shy side of his personality.

"Well, I hope you beat your brother well. I suppose your detentions will be next weekend. Anyways, good night, boys," Hoffman said pleasantly. Then, a mischievous gleam appeared in his eyes. "Fifty points_ to_ Slytherin," Hoffman whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Albus grinned.

After Hoffman left, Oswald mumbled, "I'm going to bed now." Scorpius followed him, looking sleepy. Albus, however, remained in the common room, thinking about his victory against James.

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind him, jerking him out of his thoughts. Albus turned around to see that the usually empty portrait of Severus Snape was now occupied by a very unpleasant-looking man. "Breaking rules, Potter?" said the man, an ugly sneer curling his lips. "To be expected."

Albus was speechless for a moment. Finally, he stammered out, "You're S-Severus Snape, aren't y-you?"

"What an amazing deduction, Potter. I see that we have another genius on our hands," Snape said sarcastically.

Albus narrowed his eyes. He didn't like this person very much at all. _Was he really the bravest man that my father ever knew? _he wondered. _Well, if he can be rude, so can I. _"Sorry, _sir_," Albus said, coating his voice with oil, "but I wouldn't have expected someone like _you _to be my namesake."

Snape glared at him. "Ah, yes. You are surely the middle Potter."

"Yes," Albus said, his voice still very cold, "I do think that I'm Albus Severus Potter. It took you a very long time to figure that out. I'd assume that you'd seen me before. I'm the one that looks like my father."

"I'm sorry, Potter, but you are a great bit more freckled. Mind you, there is a rather unfortunate resemblance," Snape sneered.

"Thanks," Albus snapped.

"At least you are a respectable Slytherin, unlike the rest of the Potters," Snape said. "Your brother was simply frightful. I saw him in the Headmaster's Office last year. He reminded me of someone I'd like to forget."

"I can imagine," Albus said, his voice no longer cold. He could at least talk sincerely about the hatred he felt for his brother. "James always goes around breaking rules, like he's above them. He never gets caught, either, which means he _is_ above them. The only reason I went out tonight was to duel him—I won but got caught."

Snape stared at Albus in shock. A moment later, he mumbled, "Well, Potter, perhaps you aren't so bad after all."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "All right, sir. Well, I'll be going to bed now."

As Albus left for the dormitories, he heard Snape mutter, "He has Lily's eyes."

Albus was a bit confused. His sister had brown eyes. _Maybe he means my grandmother, _he thought once he had reached the Slytherin dormitories.

As he lay down on his bed, he couldn't help but feel cocky. _I won! I battled James, the King of Hogwarts and won! _Then the jubilant feeling disappeared. _But I only won because of that bright green light. What _was _that? _Albus wondered.

This strange burst of emerald light and heightened magical power hadn't been the first time it had happened; he had done it before, when he had been younger. It happened when his emotions were out of control, when he was feeling particularly desperate, determined, or, most of all, angry. This power—if that was what it was—seemed to feed on his hatred. It was sinister and dark, and it unsettled him. Even worse, he had relished seeing James in pain. That part scared him more than anything else.

The night hadn't been short of mysterious at all. It wasn't only Albus' powerful magical abilities, which seemed to be showing themselves more than they had in years, but it was also the appearance of the terrifying spirit that lurked inside the school. What was it doing there? What did it want? Had it been there before this year, or was it a new addition? Why hadn't it come after them? It was only then that a thought struck him, and a memory resurfaced. As if he had been splashed with ice-cold water, he realized that he, Rose, Scorpius, and Oswald had been inside the forbidden third-floor corridor.


	8. Halloween Spirit

**-Chapter Eight-**

**Halloween Spirit**

Over the next month and a half, the weather changed drastically. The wind became unbearably chilly, and clouds often covered the sky. The end of October was quickly approaching. Albus had already received his detention, which had consisted of sorting old papers for Irving. As time went on, he and the rest of the Slytherins continued to be bullied by James, Derlwin, and Lacker. The latter of the three was particularly after Albus' blood. Lacker, absolutely furious that Albus had tricked him twice already, had tried to kill him several times over the month. Albus had fixed the constant danger of being sent to the Hospital Wing looking like Nearly Headless Nick by accelerating his magical education.

Albus now knew spells at OWL level, and was soaking up all the information he could. He was also trying to invent his own spells, but was finding the process incredibly difficult. Inventing potions was far easier, so Albus focused on that more. He had now invented more than a dozen original potions, but hadn't told anyone, not even Hoffman, about them.

One thing Albus noticed was that Scorpius Malfoy had begun to learn advanced spells, too. Both boys were secretly practicing in empty classrooms or whispering incantations in the library. They hadn't yet become friends, and Albus was still incredibly lonely.

After tricking Lacker and his thugs uncountable times, Albus had finally gotten Lacker to leave him alone for the present. Scorpius seemed to be having similar luck. Both boys were very cunning and clever, and could both easily deal with bullies now that they were more confident with their magical ability. Oswald, on the other hand, was still getting magically beat up every day. Albus did not pity him. He didn't like Oswald at all, who always let people walk over him.

As the month went on, Albus settled into a routine and became accustomed to Hogwarts and many of its secret passages. A few weeks back, he had received his father's old Firebolt along with a letter which said:

_Dear Al,_

_I'm glad to hear that you're well, though your letter was very vague. Your mother and I don't mind that you're in Slytherin. Slytherin House is certainly lucky to have you, and we remain confident in you. I must warn you, however, that the rest of the family isn't as understanding. _

_Anyways, I sent you my old Firebolt. I lost it in the war, but recovered it after the war ended. I think you would appreciate its sentimental value more than James. Good luck in the first Quidditch match. Your mother and I will probably come to watch you and James play against each other. I already know that you're a great Seeker. (I saw you flying around one night. You were excellent!)_

_I will always love you, Albus Severus, and don't think any differently. (I'm not sure what James is telling you. Your brother might lie sometimes.) _

_Love, _

_Dad_

_P.S. This is Lily! Don't worry, Al, I still love you! It doesn't matter to me if you're in Slytherin. Will you get me some candy? _

Albus had felt better for days after reading the letter. After unwrapping the old Firebolt—which was polished so much that it looked new—Albus went to his first Quidditch practice. It was obvious five minutes into the mock game that Albus was one of the best Seekers that Hogwarts had ever seen. Hemley was nearly crying with joy at the end of it.

Practices had continued for the month and into October, and so had classes. Defense Against the Dark Arts was dreadful, as it always had been and always would be. Irving always took about fifty points from Albus, Scorpius, or Oswald each day for absolutely no reason, ('Slytherin trickery' was one of his most common excuses) and took great joy in giving the Slytherins extra homework at every possible opportunity. He also had made it a personal goal to use a new insult on the Slytherins every day, and each day's insult was worse than the last. Albus grew to hate the class so much that he even once tried to ditch it and had had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, from behind a suit of armor (which had been chuckling at the time) to the DADA classroom by a sniggering group of Gryffindors.

Potions, however, was delightful. Sometimes, Albus would have heated discussions with his potions professor. He often won these debates, some of which were on whether owls' eyes were more useful for the Hellebore Hell Poison, or scalamander scales for the same reason; and others of which were on how the Draught of Living Death's antidote could be invented by using nothing but peppermint sprigs, toads' warts, and marigold leaves.

Slowly but surely, Albus began to realize that he had two very distinct personalities. One was the timid, reserved, and stuttering boy that most people saw and made fun of. The other was the determined, cunning, and ambitious boy that he rarely became.

Rose, sadly, still wasn't talking to him. Sometimes she would try to be nice, and then she would suddenly insult him and feel guilty about it. Albus just started to avoid her. He desperately wanted to have a friend, whether it was Scorpius or Rose—or even _both._

* * *

Hoffman had a pleasant surprise for the first years on Halloween. "All right," he began once they had all settled into their seats for the class. "Today, we're going to start a project. You'll get to work with a partner on an advanced potion." There was some interested whispering from the students as he spoke. "I will be choosing your partners," Hoffman continued. Everyone groaned, and the mood of the classroom instantly turned sour. "You will be given a slip of paper that has a name of a potion. You will not be given the ingredients or the procedure, so you must figure out the properties by yourself. It'll be an exciting challenge."

Nobody but Albus seemed to agree, and most of the class exchanged incredulous looks. Hoffman sighed and began to read off his parchment, "The pairs are the following: Derlwin and Nesbitt, Weasley and Malfoy, Potter and Lyon..."

Albus straightened in his seat. His partner was _Elina Lyon, _the girl he had been rather taken with ever since the start of term. She smiled over at him and walked over with her books.

"Hello, Albus," she said pleasantly. "I'm glad you're my partner. You're top of the year in Potions."

"N-No, I'm n-not that great," Albus mumbled to the ground, unable to think straight.

Elina giggled and shook her head. "Liar."

"This person will be your partner for the next few months, so you'd better get friendly," Hoffman announced. "Now, I will bring around a wizard hat. Reach inside and take out a piece of parchment. The words on it will tell you what your potion will be. You may use outside resources to make your potion. You and your partner will also need to visit each other outside of class. Perhaps set aside a few hours in the library each week?"

Albus felt a bit sorry for Oswald. Pairing him up with Derlwin was a death sentence. Rose and Scorpius also looked very sour and reluctant to speak to each other as Hoffman began moving around with the wizard hat. Elina plunged her hand inside and drew out a small piece of parchment. "It says: Hiccoughing Solution," said Elina after squinting at it for a moment.

"That's an OWL-level potion," Albus said immediately.

"Are these really that difficult?" Elina asked nervously. "I'm terrible at Potions."

Albus was sure that she was lying. He found out that she was rather bright. He had her writing down ingredients and their properties while Albus researched which procedure would be the best for their potion. Even so, Albus was finding a bit hard to concentrate. She was extremely pretty, and he certainly understood why so many boys in the earlier years liked her. Elina was always nice to him, even if he was a Slytherin. She never once teased him or scowled at him. In fact, it was unlikely that she did anything but smile and laugh.

"What exactly are the properties of baneberries?" Elina asked him, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"Er..." Albus stared at her blankly, not properly listening to what she was saying. He was too busy studying her eyes. They were a very strange and marvelous shade of periwinkle—a mix of deep blue and violet. He wondered if there was a potion that color.

"Are you there, Al?" Elina giggled, waving a hand in front of his face.

Albus blushed. "Er—what?" he asked, his face reddening so rapidly that it was alarming.

Elina laughed and patted him on the shoulder. Albus felt quite dizzy—she smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. He was quite sure he was going to faint from the sheer pleasure of being so close to her. Suddenly, he found himself submerged into wild fantasies of him and her walking around the school while holding hands, the rest of the school throwing bouquets of flowers at them. This rather sappy fantasy merged into one filled with more action, one in which he had to save Elina from a burning building and carried her out in his arms princess-style. But he was jerked awake and thrown out of these rather wonderful daydreams when a shrill voice sounded from Rose's and Scorpius' table.

"You're too difficult to understand! What the _bloody hell _are you talking about?" Rose screeched.

"It's not my fault you're stupid, Weasley," Scorpius retorted angrily. "Can't you even _pretend _to be smart?"

Rose glared at him. If looks could kill, Scorpius Malfoy would certainly be dead. "At least I'm not a _loser. _What do you do all day? Read boring books about history and fantasize about becoming Minister of Magic? No wonder you have no friends! Get a life!" she said scathingly.

The little color that remained in Scorpius' face left him. For a moment, Albus thought that Scorpius was going to scream. Instead, he blinked rapidly, but to no avail. Tears still leaked out of his eyes. "I'm not dealing with this anymore," he said quietly. Without another word, he walked out of the room, leaving his wand and books.

Albus stood up furiously, unsure why he was defending Malfoy. "Why don't you just lay off him, Rose?" he spat at her.

Rose looked absolutely shocked at his reaction. "I-I didn't mean to m-make him cry," she wailed.

"Well, you did," Albus snarled. "Can't you stop being an insufferable know-it-all for at least five minutes? You're not even that smart!"

Rose's attitude changed immediately. "You know, Albus, you're a loser, too! Actually, you've _always_ been a loser! I can't believe I never saw it before—James knew it," Rose said, trying to sneer. It was obvious that her heart wasn't really in the insult.

Albus didn't let her comment get to him. "I thought you were better than this," he told her coldly.

The bell rang. "All right, class, you're dismissed," Hoffman said nervously, having watched the exchange between Rose, Scorpius, and Albus.

When the Gryffindors and Slytherins arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Scorpius still hadn't turned up. Albus suddenly remembered that Scorpius had left his wand and books on his desk in Potions. There was no way that Scorpius could get back to the Slytherin common rooms without a wand. Albus gulped—Scorpius was probably wandering the dungeons, lost.

Albus had to endure Irving's taunting as usual—no surprises there. After Defense Against the Dark Arts had ended, he hurried back to dungeons. He entered the Potions classroom quietly, relieved to find that it was empty. Hoffman and the other students were probably already at the Halloween Feast. Albus seized Scorpius' wand and pocketed it; he would give it back once he found Scorpius.

He exited the Potions classroom and plunged deeper into the dungeons. Without warning, faint voices came out of nowhere, causing him to jump. He sped up in order to hear them. A second later, they were a bit clearer.

"Irving, I beg you to reconsider. The Orb has been acting oddly ever since it came here. I'm sure some Guardian Spirits have escaped from the Realm," said a voice.

Albus gasped with recognition. The man who was speaking was Hoffman.

"Hoffman, I absolutely _assure _you that nothing is wrong with the Orb," responded another man.

Albus realized that it was Irving. He wondered if Irving had probably come straight to the dungeons from Defense Against the Dark Arts just like Albus had.

"Recheck it," Hoffman ordered. "Headmaster Triton wanted to make sure that nothing would go wrong. He already made a huge gamble by asking Gringotts for it, and now it's randomly acting up. What if someone tried to s_teal _it? Even worse, what if the Opponent of the Orb is at Hogwarts? The Opponent could destroy it..."

"The Opponent of the Orb? P-Preposterous. Do you know how powerful one must be to be the Opponent? None of us is great enough," Irving said, his voice shaking slightly.

Albus' ears perked up. _Irving is lying. He doesn't believe what he's saying, _he realized with a jolt.

"Irving, even so, _something's _wrong with the Orb. In the wrong hands, it can destroy the world. In the right hands, it can _still_ destroy the world," Hoffman said nervously.

"All right," Irving snapped. "I'll check on the Orb right now, during the feast."

"Good. Make sure to tell Triton and me what you found out," Hoffman said, relieved.

"Oh, yes," said Irving smoothly. "I'll be _sure _to inform you of any oddities. But I _promise _that the Orb is just fine."

Albus heard footsteps, and knew that one of the men had left. He drew the courage to peek out, but before he could, someone grabbed him by the shoulder. Albus jumped and whirled around, startled.

It was Irving. "How did you get behind me so quickly?" Albus gasped out, his heart thumping unhealthily fast. Irving's look was nothing short of hatred.

"I can do _many_ things, Potter," said Irving coldly. Albus' bright green eyes met Irving's ice-blue ones. Suddenly, Albus felt pain shoot through him. It was like his insides were freezing and burning at the same time. He let out a gasp and clutched his head, which felt like it was splitting.

Irving hissed, "Be careful, Potter_. _It's a bit suspicious to be sneaking around during the feast. Aren't you hungry?"

* * *

Albus hurried to the Great Hall after overhearing Irving and Hoffman's conversation, his head spinning. He sat down dazedly at the Slytherin table, barely remembering the reason he had gone to the dungeons in the first place.

"You're a bit late," Hemley told Albus. "Triton's already made his speech."

Albus didn't care. His head still felt like it was being torn into two, and he was inexplicably tired and shaky. _It must be something that Irving did to me! _

He glanced at the staff table. Neither Hoffman nor Irving was there. Perhaps Hoffman hadn't come from the dungeons yet. Irving was presumably checking on this 'Orb'—whatever that was. All of the other teachers, however, were present. All of them looked very worried, but none looked more worried than Headmaster Triton himself.

Albus remembered what Hoffman had said about Triton taking a gamble by taking the Orb from Gringotts. He recalled the words that he had read in the newspaper in Hagrid's hut. _A gamble? A powerful object? What's going on at Hogwarts? _he wondered, feeling a bit panicked. And what about that ghostly thing that he, Rose, Scorpius, and Oswald saw in the forbidden corridor on the third floor? Hadn't Hoffman said something about 'Guardian Spirits?'

Albus scooped some potatoes onto his plate, not very hungry. Before he could even take a single bit, all the floating candles went out at the same time, and the Great Hall was engulfed in pitch blackness. There was utter silence for a moment, and then people started screaming. Albus knocked over his goblet in order to stand up. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He felt oddly calm. _It could be some Halloween joke or prank, _Albus thought.

Then a strange white fog drifted into the Great Hall. It lit up the surrounding area, and Albus could finally see. He looked closer and saw a man within the fog.

"A GUARDIAN SPIRIT ESCAPED! IT'S IN THE DUNGEONS!" yelled the man. Albus recognized the voice—it belonged to Professor Irving.

Chaos reigned. Everyone started screaming and ran towards the exit. Albus gulped. Scorpius Malfoy was lost in the dungeons... Albus blindly pushed his way to the crowd to the Gryffindor table, hoping to see a flash of vivid orange hair that belonged to Rose.

He found her fairly quickly in the darkness. "Rose! Malfoy is in the dungeons!" he gasped out, looking at her pleadingly.

All the color left Rose's face, and Albus could see her freckles very clearly. "Oh, no! This is my fault, Al!" she wailed.

"We've got to tell him!" Albus said. "Quick, let's go to the dungeons."

The two of them, Gryffindor and Slytherin, headed out of the Great Hall with everyone else. There was still pandemonium, and no one was listening to the professors or the prefects. Albus and Rose slipped unnoticed into the dungeons.

Albus saw a misty light up ahead. He and Rose carefully approached it, scared to see what they might find. Albus had to clamp his hand over Rose's mouth to prevent her from screaming.

It was absolutely horrifying. The spirit was beyond huge and looked like it was made out of torn mist. Its eyes were nothing but gaps in the mist, and it waved its arm-shaped fog threateningly in front of it.

Then, a yell of fear jerked him out of his shocked stupor. The yell, now increasing in volume, was coming from in front of the spirit.

_Scorpius Malfoy! _Albus ran toward the spirit, Rose hot on his heels. Albus darted past the spirit, stopping next to Scorpius and pulling out Scorpius' wand from his pocket. "Take your wand!" Albus yelped at the pale-faced boy.

Scorpius snatched it and leapt into action. "Do something!" Scorpius screamed at Rose, who was still on the other side of the spirit.

The spirit, already confused about Albus' and Rose's arrival, let out a terrible bellow. Rose screamed at the top of her voice and huddled against the wall. The spirit turned around and spotted her.

"Wait a moment!" Albus gasped, a sudden idea hitting him. "It's afraid of _light! _That's why it made everything so dark in the Great Hall! Make light!"

Rose fumbled for her wand and held it out in front of her. "I d-don't know the spell!" she whimpered. She screamed again as the monster stepped closer.

"_Periculum!_" Scorpius said. Red sparks shot out of his wand at the spirit. They made a sizzling sound when the sparks made contact with the mist, and the spirit let out a wail of pain and started to thrash around.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Rose screeched, having regained herself. The spell had no effect.

"Make light!" Albus repeated. He, too, sent out sparks, causing the spirit to bellow in pain again. Scorpius Malfoy ran past the spirit toward Rose, letting out a loud war cry, trying to confuse it. The spirit, befuddled and in pain, went after Scorpius.

"Malfoy! Come back!" Albus yelled. "It's no use! The spirit is too strong!"

It was too late. Scorpius had already joined Rose and was attempting to shoot out sparks. Albus sent out sparks again, but to no avail. The spirit just shrugged it off. In desperation, Albus tried to think of a spell that made a bright light. _Lumos? _No, it wasn't powerful enough.

Rose and Scorpius screamed at the top of their voices as the spirit lunged at them. "_NO!_" Albus bellowed. He ran toward them, practically going through the mist of the spirit. Rose was his favorite cousin. Scorpius was the person at Hogwarts that was most like Albus himself. He _couldn't_ lose them.

Albus once again felt the strange, dark sensation take over him, giving him strength. The slumbering power awoke in his veins, sending a wave of exhilaration thundering through him. Then, he began to glow bright green just like he had during the duel with James. A bright green-tinted dome appeared around Rose, Scorpius, and him, acting as a sort of shield. Albus began to shine brighter and brighter, bathing the corridor in green light and blinding the spirit. The moment it made contact with Albus' aura of bright green light, the spirit let out a wail of fury, flailed around desperately, and disintegrated like dust.

Albus stopped glowing and fell to the floor, unable to support himself. Both Rose and Scorpius were still shouting.

"Al! What happened?" Rose sobbed.

"Potter! You okay?" Scorpius gasped.

Albus shuddered and attempted to get up again. He felt awfully weak, and his head was aching. "I'm all r-right," he said, his voice shaking with pain.

Then, he heard the worried whispers of a dozen people. The staff had evidently arrived, albeit late. "What happened?" Neville spluttered. Then, he said, "_Al, Rose, Malfoy!—_what?"

"The spirit! Where did it go?" Triton asked harshly, fixing Albus with an angry glare.

"Potter destroyed it," Scorpius explained. "He did something really odd_—_"

"What?" Hoffman asked, shocked. "You three found the spirit?"

"W-We did," Rose mumbled. "It w-was m-my fault. I-I thought that I could take care of it m-myself. Scorpius and Al tried to stop m-me and s-saved my life."

Albus and Scorpius stared at her shock. A _Gryffindor_, lying to defend two _Slytherins?_ Perhaps Rose wasn't so bad after all.

Irving looked as if he had been hit over the head with a club. He stood there, momentarily stunned. Then he let out a gasp of comprehension, his eyes widening. Irving looked as if he had just realized something earthshattering. "_You," _he whispered quietly, pointing at Albus. "_You're _the _one.__"_

The color left Irving's face. He looked worried and jittery as he stared at Albus. "D-Detentions! And fifty points from Slytherin!"

"Don't be unreasonable," Hoffman said, apparently not noticing the expression of horror on Irving's face. "These three first years defeated a Guardian Spirit. They deserve points for their efforts."

"What's a Guardian Spirit?" Scorpius asked.

Hoffman did not answer. "Ten points to each of you," he said. "Now, let's get you three to the Hospital Wing. Mr. Potter looks very ill, and he needs a rest."

Neville led them to the Hospital Wing. Along the way, Albus, Rose, and Scorpius exchanged smiles.

A bond had formed between them—a bond that represented a true and everlasting friendship.

A friendship that was made by fighting an insane spirit in the dungeons.


	9. Brother Against Brother

**-Chapter Nine-**

**Brother Against Brother**

Albus' life had greatly improved ever since Halloween. At the start of term, he had been friendless and alone. Now, he had Rose and Scorpius, and he never wanted to let them go. Both of them had made him immensely happier, and the three were rarely ever seen apart.

Albus realized just how much he needed Rose only after their friendship was healed. She was very bubbly and optimistic, qualities that Albus sorely lacked. She was also quite impressive, and all the bullies in the school respected and feared her. Rose would chase off any thugs that threatened Albus or Scorpius, and she would also warn them of any pranks that James had planned for the Slytherins. Scorpius, on the other hand, was the very opposite. He was harshly truthful and sarcastic, but he had a sense of humor. Albus got along with him better than anyone else. The two boys were both equally brilliant and talented, and every night they would practice spells together. With Scorpius' help, Albus was learning advanced magic faster than ever before. Scorpius and Albus would duel each other for practice, using OWL level spells and nonverbal magic. Soon, they were working on inventing spells. Albus could talk about his academic talents in front of Scorpius without feeling arrogant.

Rose, however, was being rejected by many of her Gryffindor friends because of her friendship with Scorpius and Albus. The only Slytherin-tolerant friend that Rose had was Elina Lyon, and Albus suddenly saw a lot more of the girl he liked. Elina was now one of the most popular girls in the school, but when she wasn't hanging out with older students, she stuck with Rose. Albus started becoming a lot more self-conscious around Elina and often found it hard to concentrate when she was nearby. In addition to this, he had a nasty habit of falling into his daydreams when she was talking to him, and he'd once had to explain one of his awkward blurt-outs to her: "Elina! I'll save you!" She had stared at him for about five minutes after this, as if fearing for his mental sanity. But no matter how hard Albus tried, he couldn't exactly push away his childish daydreams, nor could he stop himself from grinning stupidly whist he imagined carrying her away from a fantasy exploding castle.

Fortunately, Elina didn't know creepily crazy he was, because a few weeks after Halloween she asked him an unexpected question during Potions class. "Hey, Al, we should work on the Hiccoughing Potion together in the library," Elina suggested. "I mean, Professor Hoffman said that should find time every few weeks to meet outside class."

It took Albus a few seconds to register her statement. "Uh—all r-right!" he stuttered, forcing himself out of another Elina-filled daydream.

She grinned. "Okay. How about tomorrow after lunch?" she asked.

"S-Sounds great," Albus mumbled. He knew he was blushing like an idiot, but he couldn't help himself. He spent the rest of the day daydreaming about his upcoming study session with Elina. (In this daydream, the study session was interrupted by an army of giants, which Albus had battled with his eyes closed while Elina watched him admiringly.) He couldn't think straight at all, which cost him ten points during Defense Against the Dark Arts. (Courtesy to Irving.)

The next day couldn't come quickly enough. Albus didn't eat much at breakfast, and spent the next few minutes, which were passing unbearably slowly, pawing at his toast. If his grandmother could see him, she would have had a heart attack. He had always been scrawny, but now he was getting even skinnier.

"You look happy," Scorpius observed, helping himself to some orange juice.

"It's nothing," Albus assured him. "I just have to meet Elina this afternoon for our Potions project."

Scorpius smirked knowingly, which worried Albus. _Have I been that obvious?_

"If you say so," Scorpius said airily.

Albus turned to look at the Gryffindor table. Elina was sitting between Rose and—Albus' mouth fell open—_James. _He stared for a moment. James was winking at Elina and telling some supposedly amusing joke. Everyone around him laughed, including Elina. Albus felt jealousy flow through him like a burning wave. He turned around, scowling.

He shouldn't have been too shocked. Elina was popular and pretty—obviously James would like her. But did she like James back? It was likely. James was the most desirable boy in all of Hogwarts, being Harry Potter's son. Albus, however, was considered the disgrace of the Potter family and was now more infamous than famous. James, on the other hand, was considered the 'King of Hogwarts,' which Albus thought was ridiculous but painfully true. James was also strong, handsome, and funny. In contrast, Albus was frail, wore glasses, and was quite nerdy. It would clearly be no contest between James and Albus. Because of James' small wink at Elina, Albus turned into a nervous wreck for the rest of the morning. He kept trying to practice what he was going to say to Elina, but it was no use. He was terrible at flirting. Albus finally gave up and rememorized the Laws of Magic.

Lunch finished too soon, and Albus met Elina outside the Great Hall. He realized that his hair was uncombed and that he was slumping as he walked. He straightened up slightly, not wanting to look like a complete reject.

She didn't seem to notice, however. "Hi," she said brightly. "I hope we get a lot done today."

Albus nodded nervously and, unable to take his eyes off her, promptly walked into the wall.

She giggled and grabbed his shoulder. "Come on, Al."

Finally, they reached the library and put their bags down. They worked without issues for a few minutes. Albus began to scribble down the ingredients they would need and discussed the procedure for their potion. Elina was a great partner, and she rarely ever got off task. In fact, Albus was the one that found it hard to concentrate. Her scent of cinnamon and vanilla was intoxicating, and Albus felt rather dazed whenever she came closer to him. Everything had been going well until Albus heard obnoxious laughter coming from behind him.

Albus gritted his teeth. _James. _He turned around to see James strut into the library as if he owned the place. His smile slid off his face when he saw Elina sitting with Albus, though. "Elina, what are you doing with this Slytherin garbage?" James asked furiously.

"James!" Elina scolded. "This is your own brother!"

Albus snorted derisively, and was echoed by James.

"I refuse to be related to him," James told her. "Anyways, I was looking for you, Elina."

Elina flushed pink. "Oh, you were?"

James smirked and sat down uninvited, causing Albus to clench his fists. "I was actually going to ask you whether you wanted to take a walk with me. I wanted to discuss some of my latest prank ideas with you." James winked at her, which caused Elina to giggle.

It maddened Albus to no end.

Then Elina stopped giggling. "Sorry, James. I want to work on the Potions project with Al," she said seriously.

James made a face at his younger brother, who smiled triumphantly. Then James knocked Albus' head into the table, as usual. He gave Albus a look as if to say, _'Stay away from her!' _With that, James stalked away with his group of his friends.

Elina hadn't noticed anything. "Are you okay?" she asked Albus as he rubbed his forehead.

"Er—yes," Albus mumbled, turning red.

"James can be a bit mean sometimes," Elina said, shaking her head. "You don't deserve that."

Albus shrugged, but butterflies were taking flight inside of him. Elina was the nicest, sweetest person that he had ever met, and he wasn't going to let James take her without a fight.

* * *

Quidditch season was upon the school. Hemley was absolutely going overboard with the training—he'd had Professor Hoffman book the Quidditch pitch every other day. Everyone in Slytherin wanted to beat Gryffindor after nearly twenty years of losing, but none of them wanted to win more than Albus did. He desperately wanted to beat James and show up his so-called perfect brother. Even more than that, he wanted to prove to the world that he was not a loser or a disgrace.

But it was going to be very difficult. Albus had learned from Rose (who was now somewhat of a double-agent) that James and the Gryffindor team was completely flawless. James certainly did deserve his title of best Seeker since their father, which meant that Albus was going to have to try harder than ever before. Even so, Albus was sure that he and his brother were equally matched in Quidditch, even though James had received more lessons from various family members, while Albus had only flown at night in order to avoid detection.

In the week leading up the match, various thugs tried to hurt Albus, wanting to put him in the Hospital Wing for the match. The whole school knew that Slytherin had a formidable team now that Albus was part of it. Fortunately, most of the bullies stopped harassing him when Albus blasted one of Lacker's cronies into the wall with a nonverbal Impediment Jinx_. _

The day before the match, however, Albus and Scorpius were cornered by Lacker and his cronies. For some reason, Lacker had more thugs than usual. Albus realized that there were nearly twenty—the biggest and cruelest thugs from all the houses. (Except for Slytherin, since it was the house that was being bullied.)

Albus gulped and backed up against Scorpius, taking out his wand. "Oh dear, how terrifying," Scorpius sneered at the seventeen-year-old thugs, "a group of mindless dunderheads."

"Take that back, Mal-_fail," _Lacker snarled, his usually pasty face turning purple. "We're going to kill you and the jittery traitor next to you."

Albus was indeed jittery. He looked more carefully at Lacker's group. They weren't truly mindless dunderheads—not most of them, at least. He was a bit worried about the odds. Ten to one didn't sound good at all.

Scorpius seemed to realize this, too. He gulped and exchanged a worried look with Albus. "It was nice knowing you, mate," he said gravely.

Albus resisted the urge to laugh, even though there was nothing remotely funny about the situation. "We won't go down without a fight," he growled, pointing his wand at Lacker's face.

All their dramatics were spared, however, when Rose walked in on the scene. "What's going on here?" she demanded. "Leave them alone!" She stepped in front of Scorpius and Albus and glared at Lacker. Apparently, the angry girl scared the thugs more than the two scrawny boys, and they left without protest.

"Thanks," Scorpius muttered. "But we could have dealt with them without your help."

"You're so ungrateful!" Rose spat. Albus rolled his eyes. Even though Rose and Scorpius were now good friends, they still bickered with each other for the silliest reasons.

Deciding to ease them away from the argument, he started to talk about his fears for the upcoming Quidditch match. "I can't believe the match is tomorrow," he said, his voice higher than usual. "I'm not good enough! I can't beat James! I'm going to fall—something's going to go wrong—"

"Al, relax," Rose soothed. "Nothing bad's going to happen. You'll do great."

"But I'm sure you're hoping for a _Gryffindor _victory," Scorpius said to Rose accusingly.

"I'm sorry, but I _am _a Gryffindor," she growled at him. "Forgive me if I wish to support my own house."

Scorpius simply shrugged but continued to glare at her.

* * *

The day of the Quidditch match dawned bright and sunny. Despite this, Albus felt very ill. He dragged himself down to the Great Hall for breakfast, his feet trudging on the ground and his head bowed as if he were attending a funeral ceremony.

"Are you going to eat?" Scorpius asked when Albus sat down, a raincloud practically looming above him.

"No," Albus choked out, his heart in his throat. He put his toast down and watched James, who only looked slightly apprehensive.

Unlike his brother, Albus was beyond nervous. His hands were shaking and he could barely stand. This wasn't good. How could he play well if he was too scared to think straight? The same thoughts kept repeating in his head: _I'm a loser. I'm a loser. I'm a loser. _

He clenched his fork and tried to think positively.

It didn't work.

After what seemed like ages, Hemley led the team to the changing rooms. Albus saw that Elina and Rose were both wearing scarlet and gold and sitting by James.

_Obviously, they're Gryffindors, _Albus thought, trying to assure himself. Then Albus remembered that his mother and father were supposed to come to watch the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match.

He felt close to fainting.

A few minutes later, the Slytherins walked out on to the Quidditch pitch. Everyone started booing and screaming obscenities at the emerald-and-silver-clad players. Albus looked toward the stands to see that the Gryffindors were waving several huge banners: BEAT THE SLIMY TRAITOR! (He was _not _a traitor.) and ALPUS SNIVELLUS IS A LOSER! (He hated that nickname.) He scowled at the posters, then realized that Elina and Rose were helping to keep the banners up, even though they weren't booing. Albus suddenly wished that someone would supply him with a sick bucket. He looked toward the staff box to see his parents sitting next to Neville. They were smiling at him, (even though they were wearing scarlet and gold) and Albus felt a bit better.

Then, to great applause, the Gryffindors walked out on to the pitch. Everyone started yelling with approval, and new banners were put up: WE LOVE YOU, JAMES! (This one made Albus grit his teeth, especially since Elina was waving it enthusiastically.) JAMES POTTER IS OUR SAVIOR! (This was _too _exaggerated.) GRYFFINDORS FOR THE CUP! (This particular poster had a rather gory and animated picture of a lion chewing up a snake.)

To Albus' horror, Irving was standing in the middle of the pitch with a smug look on his face. "_No,_" said Hemley in shock. "_Irving _can't be refereeing the match!" But luck did not want to be on their side, and it seemed that Irving indeed was the referee. Albus groaned. There was no way that Slytherin would be allowed to win with Irving breathing down their necks.

"We're depending on you," said Quentin Trollon, who was one of the Beaters. "You _need _to catch the Snitch before your brother does."

"Don't pressure him," Hemley snapped. "But, Al—_just catch it."_

Albus gulped and nodded. He gripped the handle of his Firebolt hard, his knuckles turning white with the strain. It was time to see which Potter son was better. It wasn't just a game. It was much more than that. He couldn't lose.

"Now," said Irving, smirking evilly, "I want a nice, clean game, Slytherins." The Slytherins gritted their teeth while the Gryffindors smiled arrogantly back at them. James was making rude hand gestures at Albus. "Captains, shake hands." Hemley shook hands with the Gryffindor captain, Olivia Wood. It seemed that both of them were trying to crush the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms," Irving ordered, mounting his own. Everyone else followed his example. Then, after raising a silver whistle to his mouth, Irving gave a loud blast on it, signaling the start of the game, and they were off.

"Aaaand the Quaffle is taken by Whitney Brooks of Gryffindor. I repeat, Gryffindor with the Quaffle! _Gryffindor with the Quaffle_!" said a voice from the stands. Albus realized that James' right hand prankster, Richie Red, was commentating, closely watched by Neville. "Good that Slytherin hasn't gotten a head start—then again, they're all losers!"

There was appreciative laughter from everyone except the Slytherins. Albus rose up high above the pitch and stopped when he was at the same level as James. The two brothers circled each other like hawks. "So, you can fly?" James sneered. "Who would have known?"

"Shut up, _Gryffindork,_" Albus snarled back.

James raised an eyebrow. "Whatever, _Snivellus._" He shrugged, then smirked. "But _I'll _win. I've never lost a match before."

"There's a first time for everything," Albus retorted coolly. James simply glared at him and flew a level higher. Albus stayed where he was and started to circle the pitch in pursuit of the snitch.

"And Brooks scores! Ten to nil, Gryffindor! I repeat, Gryffindor in the lead by ten. The first match's off to a high start for the lions!" Red called. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws cheered as one, drowning out the Slytherins' booing.

"And now Patty Parkinson from Slytherin has the Quaffle. Drat!" Richie yelled. Everyone booed as loudly as they could, and the Slytherins' cheers were lost in all the noise.

To Albus' complete horror, the Gryffindor Beaters swooped around Patty like vultures. They descended upon her with their clubs and started to hit her. Albus screamed, "FOUL!" with the rest of the Slytherins, but Irving simply smirked and ignored them.

"And Parkinson drops the Quaffle!" said Richie gleefully, not mentioning the unfair trick that the Gryffindors had used.

A moment later, the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws cheered when Dana Robins, another Gryffindor Chaser, scored. "Twenty to nil, Gryffindor! _Liiiiiioooonnnns_ for the Cup!"

Albus gulped. The Slytherins were losing. The Gryffindors were too good. (Not to mention cruel.) The game got more intense. Both the Gryffindor and Slytherin Beaters were trying to kill each other, and Albus tried to keep out of the heat by staying on the edges of the pitch. James was on the opposite side, looking extremely smug and arrogant, as ever.

Then, without warning, the two Gryffindors Beaters cornered Albus. Albus gulped—Lacker was one of them, and he looked positively murderous. "Sneaky, traitorous Slytherin scum," Lacker snarled. "You're _dead._"

"F-Funny, you'd think I wouldn't b-be flying around," said Albus, his voice shaking with fear.

"Oh, don't worry," Lacker snarled, his eyes gleaming crazily. "You won't escape from me!"

At that moment, Lacker and his fellow Beater closed in on Albus. Albus rocketed skywards, and the two thugs collided painfully beneath him. "I believe I just _did _escape from you," Albus sneered, the stutter disappearing from his voice. "And, really? Falling for that trick again? It's the oldest in the book, but you've never cracked one open, have you, Lacker?"

"FOUL!" the Gryffindors screamed. Albus scowled—it hadn't been a foul at all. Irving gladly granted the penalty, a satisfied grin on his face at the Slytherins' misery. Fortunately, Hemley managed to block the Quaffle, preventing Gryffindor from scoring once more.

"That bloody _Snivellus _Potter! What a trick worthy of Slytherin! And James says he always suspected that his brother was a _loser,_" Richie Red said furiously.

Albus clenched the handle of his broom harder, trying to think positive thoughts. He searched inside his head and found none.

Even though Albus was rather depressed, the Slytherins, heartened by his efforts, began to play better than ever before. An hour later, Richie was cursing at the top of his voice. "Seventy to sixty, Gryffindor! Come on, catch the Snitch, James, and finish it before the Slytherins win!"

Albus smirked deviously. He wouldn't let Gryffindor win if he could help it—he had a few nasty tricks up his sleeve. James swooped over to Albus, looking very annoyed. "That's it, _Snivellus. _You better stop hoping, because I'm going to catch the Snitch. Give up now and spare yourself the sorrow."

"Scared of me?" Albus taunted, the smirk still on his face.

"You wish," said James through gritted teeth. "You're just a complete loser and a traitor."

"I'm _not _a traitor," Albus hissed. "Why can't you understand?"

"You're a Slytherin. I don't need to understand," James spat. "You were never part of our family. You must have been adopted. I take that back—you weren't adopted. You were always a problem. Mum and Dad _always _complained about you and how you were a magical _freak._"

Albus' blood turned cold. _James is right, _Albus thought in horror. _I'm a freak. I'm a loser. I'm an outcast. _Albus tried to control his thoughts. He saw his parents, clad in scarlet and gold and cheering for the Gryffindors. He saw Elina, waving the banner that said, 'WE LOVE YOU, JAMES!' enthusiastically.

He felt hot anger flow through him, and again he had the feeling that a dark, terrifying power was stirring within him.

_No. I'm not a loser—I'm better than James. I'll show him how much of a freak I can be. I'll show him that I'm a Slytherin. _

"All right," Albus said coldly. Then, he dove straight down toward the ground in a completely vertical dive.

There was silence for a second. Then, several people screamed. "THE SLYTHERIN POTTER HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!" Richie gasped. "That's a dangerous angle! He could be killed!"

James, stunned for a second, joined Albus in his straight dive. James' Lightningbolt was faster than Albus' Firebolt, and the two brothers were neck and neck in a split second. More people screamed, the noise nearly causing the stands to fall down.

"BOTH OF THEM ARE GOING TO DIE!" Richie wailed into the microphone, looking frantic.

Then, all of sudden but still too late, James realized that there was no Snitch and that he was diving to his death. "You tricked me!" he gasped at Albus.

Albus cackled loudly. "Finally realized it?" he sneered.

James struggled to pull out of the dive, but he was heading for the ground at full speed. Albus stopped jerkily only a few feet from the ground and shot upwards, his broom nearly cracking with the strain. James, on the other hand, wasn't good enough to save himself. He crashed painfully into the ground as Albus, who had shown more skill in his dive, safely returned to the sky.

Richie was screaming swear words into the magically enhanced microphone, and nobody bothered to stop him. "SOMEBODY HELP HIM!" he yelped, banging on the desk in front of him so loudly that the magical microphone caught the noise of it. Albus continued to laugh hysterically, not even caring that everyone was staring at him with shock and fear. He felt that inexplicable dark power running through him. Not only that—he felt _evil. _

Irving and the rest of the staff hurried to the field where James was lying, feebly stirring. There were a few bangs of purple smoke. A couple minutes later, James was looking better.

"His arm broke, but it's fixed now. He's all right, and Gryffindor won't have to forfeit," Richie called to the worried crowd. Everyone cheered.

"It was a dirty little trick—there was no Snitch! And the penalty is granted!" Richie continued.

Albus sighed, even though it was expected. The Wronski Feint wasn't at all against the rules, but of course, whatever the Gryffindors wanted, they got. Fortunately, Hemley managed to block the penalty again. Slytherin began to play the best that they had in almost twenty years. The game turned soon turned very dirty, and Irving had no choice but to grant penalties to both Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Albus rose up above the hoops. He was satisfied to see that James looked shaken and not quite so confident anymore. The evil feeling had finally left him, and Albus was slightly worried about it. What had happened? He had felt murderous at that moment. Had he actually considered killing his own brother?

And then, out of nowhere, shockingly, completely without warning, his broomstick began to jerk around uncontrollably.

* * *

Scorpius was quite impressed at Albus' very Slytherin trick, though the expression on Albus' face had been nothing short of pure evil. It had unnerved Scorpius. He looked toward where pretty Rose Weasley was sitting, looking stunned. He was quite annoyed at her. He was _always _annoyed at her, actually, but this time he was even more annoyed than usual. She was supporting James and Gryffindor shamelessly! Didn't she have any loyalty to her favorite cousin? Scorpius' thoughts returned to Albus, who had been positively frightening at that moment. Perhaps Albus was more formidable than Scorpius had previously thought.

Oswald apparently thought the same thing. "Potter looked kind of s-scary," Oswald mumbled.

"Hello, snakes, glad to see us?" sneered a voice from behind Scorpius and Oswald. Scorpius whirled around, not surprised to see Eric Derlwin and his cronies smirking from behind them.

Scorpius, not particularly caring about this, turned back around. Oswald, however, let out a fearful squeak. "How do you two like the match so far, slimy Slytherins? Glad to be on the losing side?" Derlwin asked, a malicious smile on his face.

"Go away," Scorpius advised, not even looking at Derlwin. Scorpius was already ten times cleverer than Derlwin, and wasn't too scared of the brainless bully.

Oswald, on the other hand, was biting his lip nervously. "W-What d-do you w-want?" he spluttered, shaking from head to foot.

"Nothing, my _friend_," Derlwin said, gripping Oswald shoulders hard enough to make the frailer boy squeak with fear. "I just wanted to have some _fun_."

Scorpius did not bother to defend Oswald as a fist fight started behind him. He didn't want to get involved, anyways, not to mention the fact that Scorpius very much disliked Oswald. A second later, the groans of pain became too loud for him. Scorpius, utterly bored, sent several nonverbal Leg-Locker Curses behind him.

"T-Thanks," Oswald gasped, resurfacing with a black eye. Frozen because of Scorpius' spells, the bullies clattered to the ground like stiff boards.

"I didn't do anything," Scorpius said coldly. "I wouldn't help _you_. Try to defend yourself, idiot."

With those words, Scorpius held the binoculars up to his eyes and tried to find Albus in the sky. He was met with a nasty surprise. He let out a shocked gasp, but found that his breath had caught in his throat. Albus' broom was jerking around uncontrollably, and he was barely managing to stay on. Scorpius quickly scanned the stands again in order to find Rose's bushy orange hair. He needed to tell her right away.

* * *

Rose was beyond horrified, and judging from the expression on Elina's face, she was, too. "I can't believe Al would do that!" Elina gasped, her blue-violet eyes wide with shock. "I hope James is okay!"

Rose nodded in agreement and looked subconsciously toward Scorpius, who was gesturing frantically towards her. He pointed to his binoculars and then into the sky. Rose, confused, looked through her binoculars again.

Albus was jerking around on his broom as if he were asking it to participate in a mad jig. _Why is he doing that? _Rose wondered, confused. She took the binoculars off and looked at Scorpius again. Then he pointed toward the sky again. Rose, even more bemused than before, looked into the sky yet again. This time, she focused on the referee, Professor Irving. Strangely enough, Rose's favorite professor was muttering under his breath and not blinking. His wand was out and was pointed at _Albus._

Rose dropped her binoculars. She exchanged a look with Scorpius as if to say,_ 'What's going on?'_

Scorpius mouthed back, '_Come here!'_ Rose saw that gleam in his eye and realized that Scorpius had an idea.

"Elina, watch Al!" she screeched to her best friend. Elina seized the binoculars and gave Rose a questioning look. "Just keep an eye on Al! I'll explain later," Rose told her hurriedly. Without another word, Rose ran through the stands in order to reach Scorpius.

"What's happening?" Rose demanded once she was standing next to Scorpius. "Al... and _Irving_!"

"Well, I'd think it was obvious," Scorpius hissed. "He's cursing Al's broom."

Rose gasped. "Really? But _Professor Irving_?"

"Irving hates all Slytherins—I'd expect he'd try to hurt Al, especially after Al nearly killed James," Scorpius explained.

"But—but, if Al falls—he-he'll definitely die!" Rose screeched.

"Realized it now, haven't you?" Scorpius snapped. "Quick—we've got to do something!"

"Has Uncle Harry seen it yet?" Rose asked nervously.

"No, of course not! He's too busy fawning over James Potter the Perfect!" Scorpius snarled.

"We both have to tell him before we do anything!" Rose yelped.

"There's no time!" Scorpius said frantically. "I'll distract Irving—you tell Harry Potter!" With that, Scorpius disappeared into the crowd. Rose ran toward the stands reserved for the staff where her uncle was sitting, watching his oldest son carefully.

"Uncle Harry!" she called desperately. Her uncle looked up, his bright green eyes wide with shock. "Albus—something's happened to Al!" she gasped out. She turned around, wanting to see Scorpius' progress, and instead saw Irving's cloak light on fire.

But Scorpius had still been too late.

Albus was falling.

* * *

Albus could hear people screaming as he fell to his death. It appeared that someone had finally realized that he was in trouble. He was completely confused. What had just happened? It had felt like his broom had been stuck between two different forces tugging in different directions.

But one of the forces had won, and Albus was still falling. He scrabbled desperately in the air and, to his relief, managed to grab onto the Slytherin hoops. Then he felt sick. He was fifty feet above the ground and hanging on for dear life. The hoops were too thick and slippery... he wasn't strong enough to pull himself up...

Despite his situation, Albus looked down at the ground and saw a glitter of gold fluttering beneath him. _The Snitch, _he realized. Albus struggled to hold on, but it was no use. His hands slipped off. He was falling again. Albus flapped hopelessly in the air, his hand brushing against something small and smooth. He snatched it out of the sky as he fell, knowing exactly what it was.

Everyone was screaming now. This was worse than James' accident earlier—_much _worse.

Albus fell on something soft. It felt like he had landed on some kind of cushion. A second later, he was overcome by his father, mother, and the professors.

"Al! Are you all right? What happened?" his father asked frantically, his face very white.

Albus winced and held the Golden Snitch high above his head.

Harry Potter stared at his son in shock. Albus hopped off the invisible cushion and showed the Snitch to the crowd.

"Unbelievable. _Unbelievable,_" Richie said quietly. "Slytherin wins for the first time in ages... _ages!"_

The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs were screaming in fury and shouting profanities and death threats and demanding a rematch, but Albus ignored them. Something far more interesting was happening, something that made his heart lift. He could hear deafening shouts from the Slytherins. "GO ALBUS SEVERUS!" they screamed. As one, the green-and-silver-clad students ran out on to the field and threw the small, skinny boy onto their shoulders. "GO ALBUS SEVERUS! GO SLYTHERINS! GO _SERPENTS!_" they chanted.

Albus was all smiles as they carried him off the pitch.


	10. Irving's Issues

**-Chapter Ten-**

**Irving's Issues**

The Slytherin team was shamelessly partying in the Hospital Wing as Albus lay in bed, his arms now healed. Hanging on to the hoop had torn his muscles, and Madame Pomfrey was making him stay in the Hospital Wing for a night.

"Out! Out!" Madame Pomfrey screeched. "Albus' family is coming in! Get out!"

A bit disheartened, the Slytherin team left, still complimenting him on his excellent catch. A few minutes later, Albus' father, mother, and Neville walked inside.

"Al, are you okay?" Harry Potter asked. He had an odd look on his face, like he was reliving something that had occurred in his childhood. "Do you know what happened?"

"Not really," Albus admitted. "My broom went out of control, and then I was falling."

Harry, Ginny, and Neville exchanged knowing looks. "Déjà vu, Harry?" said Neville nervously.

"What?" Albus spluttered.

Harry glared at Neville for a brief moment before looking back at Albus. "Never mind, Al. You need to tell me everything that happened."

"It could have just been a prank," Albus' mother suggested.

"Ginny, remember my first year? _That _certainly wasn't a prank," Harry said coldly. "I have a terrible feeling about this."

"We'll look up on it," Albus' mother said soothingly. "Let Al sleep. He's had a terrible day."

Albus' father sighed but listened to his wife. The adults began to walk out of the room. Harry turned around, and his bright green eyes locked with his son's equally emerald ones. "That was an interesting trick that you used on James. Very Slytherin," his father said quietly.

Albus realized that Harry wasn't exactly complimenting him.

"I'm worried, Al. That look on your face when you tricked James... and how you almost died after that... just be careful, okay?" Albus' father continued.

Albus nodded and gave his father a weak smile.

Harry Potter, Head of the Auror department, sighed at his son and said, "_Constant vigilance_, remember!"

Albus waited quietly, thinking about what his father had just said. Constant vigilance? Why did it seem like he knew a bit more about the situation than Albus did, like he had been in something like it before? Before Albus could ponder this any longer, he was jerked out of his thoughts by the arrival of Rose and Scorpius. He noticed that their faces were very white.

"Irving did it," said Rose, her face blank with shock.

"We saw him," Scorpius insisted. His wand was pointing towards you, and he was muttering—he didn't break eye contact with you. He was cursing your broomstick."

"WHAT?" Albus yelled.

"Irving was trying to kill you!" Rose screeched.

"B-But, _why_?" Albus asked. "Just because he was sore that James got hurt? I know he loves James, but trying to _kill _me?"

"I know," Scorpius said angrily. "It makes no sense. There's got to be another reason..."

* * *

Albus was anxious about his decision to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. If possible, his family and the rest of the school had been even crueler to him after the Quidditch match. The whole school hated him for tricking James and then catching the Snitch. Elina wasn't talking to him, either. Only Rose and Scorpius stuck by his side. Rose was a bit colder to him than usual, and Scorpius sometimes regarded him with fear. They all knew something, they had all seen something in his eyes that day, something that Albus didn't want to know. He was just as terrified of it as they were.

According to Rose, the family wasn't looking forward to seeing Albus. He didn't want to impose himself upon the happy Gryffindors, so he had decided not to go home for Christmas. He knew it would crush his parents and Lily, but he didn't want to have to deal with his brother and other relatives' insults. Rose, on the other hand, was perfectly welcome to come home for Christmas and was going back. Albus was quite jealous, but was still looking forward to the day when the school would be empty.

The week before Christmas break found Albus, Rose, and Scorpius wandering around the corridors, talking about their plans for break. Rose was unknowingly making Albus feel sadder. "Oh, I just can't wait to taste Grandmum's cooking again," she squealed. "And it's going to be _so _fun with everyone around!"

Albus scowled at her.

Scorpius, however, made him feel a little better. "I'm really not a holiday person," he said offhandedly. "Father and Mother don't really do anything much for Christmas, and it's downright gloomy at the Malfoy Manor—especially with Grandmother swooping around the place and Grandfather in Azkaban. I swear, one time Grandmother walked past a vase of flowers, and the flowers started drooping."

Albus snickered.

But Scorpius made him feel even better when he said, "So, I told Father that I'm not coming home for Christmas."

Albus beamed at his Slytherin friend.

Rose shrugged. "All right. But I'm sure it'll be absolutely _boring _here. We still have a week until break starts, though. We should spend more time with each other! I'm going to miss you two!" she wailed.

"You'll miss _me?_" Scorpius asked, shocked.

Rose rolled her eyes and squeezed Scorpius' hand. "Of course, I'll miss you, _Scorpy,_" she said.

Scorpius stared at her for a second, and turned pink. "Don't call me 'Scorpy!' I hate nicknames," he insisted, blushing furiously.

Then, out of nowhere, there was a blinding flash of light and a clicking noise. It was James, and he was holding a camera. A picture printed out with Rose, Scorpius, and Albus standing together. "_This _is an interesting little scene," James snickered. "Holding hands with a Malfoy, Rose? This is going to everyone's _favorite_ Christmas present!"

"JAMES!" Rose screeched. "DON'T YOU DARE SHOW THAT TO MY DAD!" Looking desperate, Rose began chasing after James, who was cackling maliciously.

"She was holding my hand?" Scorpius asked, confused.

Albus shrugged. "Was she?"

Scorpius shook his hand wildly about as if it had been infected. "Ugh."

* * *

When Friday came, Albus was very much looking forward to the school being empty. He was tired of all the insults, which had worsened after the Quidditch match. Now, he could hardly go five paces without someone throwing something at him, calling him a traitor, loser, or freak, as well as aiming a hex at his back. Desperate for some peace, he walked into the Potions classroom on Friday, feeling very fidgety.

But Hoffman had a very nasty surprise for Albus, one that Albus wasn't at all prepared for. "Today, I want one of your peers to speak to you about Potions," Hoffman said happily.

Albus gulped. He had a _very_ bad feeling about this.

"Albus, m'boy, come up here. I think these students need to learn from a true genius."

Albus paled and sat in his seat for a minute, struck dumb. Derlwin was making rude faces at him, but Rose and Scorpius gave him small smiles. Albus looked at Elina, who was watching him. She did not smile; she hadn't smiled at him once since the Quidditch match. In fact, now she acted like she was afraid of him.

Disheartened, Albus stumbled to the front of the classroom. He could barely support himself—his legs were shaking too much. "Er—hi," he spluttered to the rest of the class, looking to Hoffman for help.

"Just talk about how you invent potions, Albus," Hoffman said soothingly.

Albus would have rather sunk into the ground and died there.

"You invent potions?" Derlwin sneered. "What a loser!"

A few people chuckled at Derlwin's comment. Hoffman glared at Derlwin, looking furious. "Ten points from Gryffindor," said Hoffman coldly.

Derlwin gritted his teeth and deflated like a balloon that had been popped.

Albus smirked. He was only smug for a few seconds, however, until all his nerves returned to him like he had been hit with icy water, and he stuttered as he began to speak. "Um—I d-don't know m-much," he stammered, "but t-to invent p-potions, you need to know the properties of the ingredients." Suddenly, Albus felt stronger. He continued, the stutter leaving his words. "I'll give an example: Wormwood is often used in potions because it makes the potion more likely to make the drinker less aware of his or her surroundings. It is used in the Draught of Living Death and the Elixir to Induce Euphoria," he said all in one breath. Several people had already fallen asleep, but Albus didn't particularly care. "So, if you needed to make a potion that makes you sleepy or dreamily happy, Wormwood would be a likely ingredient. Also, there may be more than one way to make a potion. I've been working on finding alternative ingredients for certain potions."

For the next hour, Albus continued to talk about Potions, letting out everything he knew. He grew bored of giving examples and started to invent a new potion right on the spot. By the end of the class, no one was listening, and he was practically talking to himself. He had gone into advanced topics such as making 'procedure diagrams' and the blackboard was covered with his scribbling. Two textbooks were propped up on the table next to him, and he was scanning them both at the same time. He was too short to reach the top of the blackboard, and he had run out of space. Annoyed, Albus seized a stool and clambered up onto it, now starting on a new potion. He was writing so fast that his words were a messy blur that no one could decipher, and he was talking so fast that he wasn't making any sense. The gears in his brain were turning at full speed, and he felt exhilarated, excited, like he always did when he was inventing potions like this. He loved the challenge, and he loved the learning. While he 'taught,' Hoffman watched him, looking utterly impressed and a bit overwhelmed. Albus was just wrapping up his speech, which was mainly to himself, when the bell rang.

Everyone hurried out of the classroom, very glad to leave. Even Rose and Scorpius looked relieved. They gave him encouraging smiles that did not reach their eyes, and they seemed asleep on their feet. They got out of there quickly, muttering something along the lines of, "Mad potionist."

"How d-did I do?" Albus asked nervously, suddenly realizing that the classroom was empty.

"You were brilliant," Hoffman said, his eyes wide like a child's. "_I_ don't even know what exactly you were talking about."

"Oh," Albus mumbled. "B-But I was supposed t-to explain t-to them—"

"No worries, Al," Hoffman assured him. "Geniuses like you are rarely understood."

Albus flushed pink and looked at his shoes.

"In fact, I'll let you in a little Potions secret," said Hoffman mysteriously. "Go to the seventh floor, walk past it three times, and ask for the Potions Master's Haven. If you do, you'll be let into a very splendid chamber which has an array of ingredients and instructions perfect for the serious Potionist.'"

Albus looked up in interest. "Really? D-Did you find this place?"

Hoffman smiled widely. "Yes. It's fabulous. I know you will love it."

"All right, I'll go," Albus agreed. Then he paused.

"Um—professor—can I ask you a question?" he stuttered.

"Ask away," Hoffman said heartily, clapping a hand on his desk.

"On Halloween, after I destroyed that—spirit—spirit _thing, _you called it a Guardian Spirit. If so, why was it attacking me, Rose, and Scorpius if it was supposed to guard something?"

Hoffman gulped, looking worriedly at Albus. "I'm not sure. _Enough questions_—go to your next class!"

* * *

"You're late, Snakey," Irving sneered as Albus arrived at Defense Against the Dark Arts. "Twenty points from Slytherin. Sit down!"

Albus obeyed without protest. He had been rather afraid of Irving ever since the Quidditch match. Albus had no trouble whatsoever believing that Irving had been trying to kill him.

"Now, I want to assess what you have learned so far this year," Irving said to the class. "I will pair you up. After fifteen minutes of practice, I will call a few pairs to duel in front of the class."

As usual, Irving paired Albus with Derlwin out of spite. Albus was jealous of Rose and Scorpius, who were paired together.

Derlwin had gotten much better since the beginning of the year and was actually a formidable enemy now, though Albus was still ten times better. He kept Disarming Derlwin nonverbally, which drove the arrogant Gryffindor boy absolutely insane.

Finally, Irving ordered the class to stop practicing with a hurried wave of his hand. He looked around randomly, and his eyes fell on a pair of students that he wanted to demonstrate. "Miss Weasley and Mal-_foul_, come up here to show us all what you've learned."

Rose and Scorpius stood up and faced each other. Rose looked determined to beat Scorpius, while Scorpius just looked unwilling to jinx Rose. They bowed to each other and started to duel.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Rose screeched.

Scorpius easily blocked it with a Shield Charm. He actually said it out loud instead of nonverbally, and Albus suspected that Scorpius didn't want to hurt Rose's feelings. "_Impedimenta!_" Scorpius yelled.

It hit Rose, and she was blasted backwards a few feet and fell to the ground. "Oh, no!" Scorpius gasped, quite out of character. "Are you okay? Rose, I'm so sorry!"

Scorpius ran toward her and helped her to her feet, still hugging her and apologizing profusely. Rose pointed her wand at him quietly and whispered, "_Expelliarmus."_

Scorpius, who was too busy focusing on Rose, didn't even realize that he had lost the duel.

"Good job, Miss Weasley. Ten points to Gryffindor," Irving said.

Rose smiled smugly at a shocked and pink-faced Scorpius before rejoining the Gryffindors, who cheered and clapped her on the back in congratulations. Albus was doubled over with silent laughter.

Scorpius snapped, "Wipe that smirk off your face, Potter. It wasn't that hilarious."

"It was. You just got beat up by Rose!" Albus snorted.

Scorpius threw his quill at him.

"Next, I want to see Mister Derlwin and Snivellus Potty-poo," Irving ordered, pointing a threatening finger straight at them.

The smirk slid of Albus' face, and he groaned silently into his arms. He already knew how this was going to end: Irving was going to take several points from Slytherin because of any legitimate hex that Albus used and give him a detention. But still determined not to give any reason for Irving to complain, Albus bowed without answering to Derlwin's jeering. Derlwin didn't even bother to bow himself and started too early. Albus dodged Derlwin's pitiful spell and yelled, "_Expelliarmus!" _He didn't say it nonverbally because if he did, Irving would accuse him of Slytherin trickery or something equally stupid.

Derlwin dodged that, too, and sent a Body-Binding Curse at Albus. Albus narrowed his eyes and decided to try a bit harder. He tried to remember the charm for sending out three different spells at the same time. "_Triplex Cantio!_" he shouted. Three spells blasted out of Albus' wand at the same moment and all headed for Derlwin, taking different paths.

Derlwin, shocked by the sudden onslaught of spells, was hit by one of them—an Impediment Jinx. He fell backwards and froze, before being thrown to the floor. "ONLY ONE SPELL AT A TIME!" Irving snarled to Albus, looking viciously satisfied. "Ten points from Slytherin."

Albus, however, was grinning widely. He had completely _owned _Derlwin. The bully in question struggled back to his feet, looking nothing short of enraged. "You're nothing but a wimpy, scummy, cowardly git!" Derlwin snarled. "Just like all Slytherins!"

Albus felt blood roaring in his ears. A slumbering power that lay within his veins burst alive and surged through him with an energy ten times stronger than that of the deadliest of electricity, and began to grow stronger with every second. He pointed his wand at Derlwin, a deadly glint in his emerald eyes. The dark power was emanating from him in waves, so powerful that the air around him crackled, as if the magic were being sucked out of it. "_Take that back!_" he snarled, his voice sounding different, more ruthless. Derlwin stumbled backward, the fear evident in his face. Then, the mysterious bright green glow appeared around Albus just like it had before. He felt the power begging to be let out, and he began to glow brighter and brighter, like he had done on Halloween. But this situation was different. Instead of being fueled by love, he was driven by hatred. The bright green light from him was almost blinding, and with a particularly powerful blast, Derlwin was thrown to the ground so hard that the walls shook. "Take that back!" Albus repeated. He wanted to _hurt _Derlwin—to _kill _him. Then he gasped, the world spinning uncontrollably around him, and sank to the ground. _What's happening to me? _he thought.

Without warning, suddenly, shockingly, completely out of nowhere, Albus was blasted into the wall by a mystery attacker, whom he realized a moment later was Irving.

The sadistic, prejudiced DADA professor was standing over him, looking murderous. "NO!" he snarled, looking down at Albus with an expression of the deepest disgust, the strongest loathing. Albus groaned and struggled to his feet, confused and exhausted. Then, his bright, emerald-green eyes met Irving's cold, ice-blue ones. Pain shot through every vein in Albus' body and he fell back to ground, gasping in pain. His head was splitting...

The whole class stared at Albus, Irving, and Derlwin. With a flick of his wand, Irving threw Albus into the wall again. "Class dismissed," Irving said, helping Derlwin up. Rose, Scorpius, and even Elina tried to stay behind, but Irving shooed them all away.

Once everyone had left, he turned to Albus, practically simmering with hatred. "Detention. Today, after dinner," he spat, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were white.

Albus let out a shaky moan and finally stood up, feeling weak and ill. He did not protest and left immediately, his heart pounding with fear and confusion. He had yet again used his inner magic—or _whatever_ it was—to cause Derlwin pain. Was it just because he was a powerful wizard, or was it something more? And how—_how_ could Irving hurt Albus with only his eyes? _He knows more about me,_ Albus realized all of a sudden. Luke Irving didn't just hate Albus just because he was a Slytherin. There was a different reason. A darker, more secret reason.

* * *

After dinner, Albus walked to Irving's office, feeling extremely apprehensive. He had been avoided by everyone in the school except for Rose and Scorpius. Apparently, news of his freakish accident had spread like wildfire.

Albus found himself wondering on the way to the DADA professor's office whether Irving would risk Azkaban in order to kill him, and decided that Irving was crazy enough to try. He loitered outside Irving's office door for a moment or two, wondering whether or not to run away and hide under his bed. Then, with the air of one steeling himself, knocked shakily on the mahagony door. Irving threw it open and walked out, looking bad-tempered. "Come with me, Al-baby Snivellus Potty," he snarled.

Albus gulped, analyzed the order for death threats, and decided to follow Irving down the corridor. A few silent minutes later, they had arrived at the Trophy Room. "Clean it," Irving ordered. "No magic. I'll be watching you."

Albus obeyed without protest and started scrubbing the trophies with a soapy rag. It wasn't as terrible as it could have been—Irving didn't insult Albus once. He simply watched him with his unsettling ice blue eyes—the same eyes that had induced pain in Albus earlier that day—the same eyes that had caused him pain during the Start-of-Term Feast and had hurt him on Halloween.

Irving was not to be trusted. This much was obvious. Whatever he thought about Albus, whatever he knew of him, he was dangerous and senile.

Albus continued to scrub the trophies, giving a start when he saw a few with his father, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione's names on them. He also saw a trophy for his grandfather, James Potter. (Albus wondered if the first James Potter was just arrogant as the second.) He smiled when he saw Potions awards for his grandmother, Lily Evans, and Severus Snape. He was a bit surprised when he saw a 'Best Auror Award' from the Ministry of Magic. It was dedicated to Gale Triton, and Albus remembered that Hemley had mentioned during the Start-of-Term Feast that Headmaster Triton had been an Auror before he taught Hogwarts. But strangely enough, there was not a single award for Irving. In fact, there wasn't any record of Irving at all. _That's odd, _Albus thought. _Just who is Irving, anyways?_

He turned around to look at the man, who was eerily watching Albus with those terrifying, icy eyes. Albus winced as if stung and quickly looked away, returning to cleaning the Quidditch awards.

"I'm done," Albus announced once he had finished, checking his watch. It was past midnight.

"Good," Irving said coldly. "You can go to bed now, Potty."

"Thank you, sir," Albus said, equally coldly.

"Wait a moment!" Irving said in a strangely hoarse voice before Albus could take a step. "You will not escape me, Albus Severus Potter. I'm watching you, and when you make your first move, I will have already made mine. Good at chess, Potty?_"_

Albus froze and turned around. He glared at Irving, forgetting his fear. "Why are talking as if you suspect me of something?"

Irving cackled crazily. "_Good-bye_, Albus Severus Potter. Play chess, please. It's probably a good idea to practice games of war."

Albus gulped, his heart pounding unhealthily fast, and left the Trophy Room, wondering if Irving's 'good-bye' had been literal.


	11. The Phantasm Realm

**-Chapter Eleven-**

**The Phantasm Realm**

To Albus' great relief, Elina was speaking to him again. She had evidently decided that he should be forgiven for hurting James at the Quidditch match.

"Well," Elina said gloomily on the day break started, "I'm staying at Hogwarts for the holiday."

"Why?" Albus asked. "Don't you have a family?"

Elina turned pink with embarrassment and looked at the ground.

Albus paled and spluttered something about being sorry. After giving him a small smile, indicating that she accepted his apology, Elina left to say good-bye to Rose and, infuriatingly, James.

Albus joined Scorpius at the Slytherin table, noticing that it was significantly emptier. Many people were already on the way to Hogsmeade Station to go back home.

"Why do you look so mopey?" Scorpius asked curiously, looking up from his toast.

Albus sighed and said, "Elina and James."

Scorpius smirked unhelpfully as Albus started spreading butter on his toast. Both he and Albus had said their goodbyes to Rose earlier.

* * *

The first week of break passed blandly, though Albus rather enjoyed the peace and quiet. Sometimes, he and Elina met in the library to discuss their Potions project.

On Christmas, Albus expected a bunch of stupid pranks from his cousins, and he was not disappointed. Fred had sent him a punching telescope, and Louis had sent him a murderous Jack-In-the-Box. James, however, had sent him the picture that he had taken of Rose, Scorpius, and Albus standing together.

Albus personally thought that it was the best present that James had ever given him. Had James seriously thought that it would insult Albus? Perhaps Albus' perfect prankster brother was losing his touch. Albus, smirking, framed the picture and stared fondly at his friends.

Roxanne and Dominique had both sent him some clothes, but when Albus took a closer look, they were frilly dresses. Annoyed, Albus threw them aside. Their idea of a dumb prank, apparently.

Albus received a quite boring-looking book on becoming a prefect from Molly and Lucy, though he supposed that he would read it anyways. Victoire and Teddy, however, had given him a set of books on Defense Against the Dark Arts. Albus grinned and made a mental note to write a thank you letter to them.

Then Albus unwrapped the present from Rose. It was a book that was titled: _Potions Secrets—Become a True Potions Master!_ Albus smiled, because he had wanted a book like this for a long time. Albus opened Scorpius' present as well and saw that it was a Potions kit filled with rare ingredients.

Leave it to his two best friends to give him something he would truly appreciate. Albus then saw a present from Elina, and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't gotten her something! Feeling terribly guilty, Albus opened the present and saw that it was another book: _Teaching Potions—Learn to Be a Potions Professor. _Albus smiled widely and flipped through it, his heart fluttering.

After that, Albus opened the lumpy package from his grandparents. He pulled out an emerald green sweater with a silver serpent in the shape of an 'S' sewn on it. Albus sighed with relief—his grandparents still loved him and had now accepted him as a Slytherin. After putting on the sweater, Albus opened Lily's present, which was a pack of sweets. It came with a letter:

_Dear Albie,_

_It's Lily! I gave you some candy! I think James might have mixed in some prank chocolates in there, though. So, be careful! I love you, and I miss you. Why didn't you come back from Christmas? Do you hate us that much? I love James, but I want you here, too._

_Love, _

_Lily_

Albus smiled sadly at his sister's letter. _I don't hate them, they hate me. _At least Lily didn't mind that he was in Slytherin.

With some trepidation, Albus picked up the package from his parents and opened it. A silvery and soft cloak fell out of the wrapping paper. He gasped as he felt the cloth.

His parents had given him the Invisibility Cloak. Albus snatched the letter that came with the cloak and read it.

_Dear Al,_

_You're probably shocked. Yes, I did give you the Invisibility Cloak. I got it from my father and want to pass it on to you. I gave it to you instead of James because he would probably only use it for pranks. I give this to you in the hope that you will _use it well._ I'm a bit worried about happened at the Quidditch match. Keep an eye out for things—perhaps the cloak will be helpful here. Don't tell your mother that I gave you the cloak. She'll be furious at me for encouraging you to stick your nose into trouble. Merry Christmas, Al, and remember that we love you. _

_Love, _

_Dad_

Albus stared at the letter for another minute, reveling in the fact that his father trusted him more than James. _Dad was telling the truth back on the platform. It doesn't matter to him what house I'm in, _Albus realized, immensely overjoyed. Then, Albus wondered whether he was trustworthy as his father thought.

_I hurt James and Derlwin with that bright green glow, and I haven't told Dad about the spirits and what I suspect about Irving. _Albus decided that nobody would really believe him anyways, and he didn't want his father to think he was crazy.

Albus heard a loud yawn from behind him and turned around to see Scorpius stretching on his bed. "Merry Christmas, Al," Scorpius grunted, getting off his bed and spotting the presents on his dresser. "Really nice present, mate," Scorpius said appreciatively as he held up Albus' present, a book titled _Climbing the Ladder of Wizarding Politics. _

Albus grinned back and said, "I knew you'd like it."

"Wait a moment," Scorpius said suddenly, looking at Albus' bed, "what's _that?_" Scorpius was pointing at the Invisibility Cloak.

Albus told him.

"Amazing," Scorpius said in awe.

"I want to try it out," Albus said, "but I don't really see a good reason..."

An hour later, Scorpius and Albus arrived at the Great Hall. Albus saw Elina sitting alone at the Gryffindor table, looking exceptionally pretty and lonely. Scorpius gave him a smirk and sat down at the Slytherin table while Albus slowly approached her and sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Hello, Al," she said, nibbling at some toast. "Thanks for joining me."

"It's all r-right," Albus stuttered, unable to look away from her doe-like, blue-violet eyes.

"How did you like your presents?" Elina asked, turning slightly pink.

"I'm so sorry, Elina," Albus spluttered apologetically. "I d-didn't think you'd g-give me one!"

"It's all right," she said, smiling.

They were quiet for moment. With a shudder, Albus realized that James probably had given her a present—and probably and expensive one. James loved to charm girls.

"You know, Al, I think that we should become better friends," Elina suggested. "You're really sweet, different than the other boys I hang around."

Albus turned the same blood red shade as his wand. "O-Okay," he mumbled, blushing and dazed.

Elina grinned at him and continued, "I mean, they're really fun, but they're never serious or modest. That's James' biggest problem. He brags a lot, don't you think?"

Albus nodded enthusiastically.

Elina added, "It's like he's your opposite. James likes attention, but you hate it. But it seems like you both get lots of attention, but different types."

Albus knew what she meant. Everyone awed and revered James, while they made fun of and hated Albus. Both brothers were extremely well known—James for the right reasons, and Albus for the wrong ones.

Elina and Albus finished their breakfast, though he too busy staring at her to eat properly.

* * *

Christmas dinner was a rather bubbly affair. All the four house tables and the High Table had been combined. Stacks of wizard crackers were littered across the table, and the professors—quite literally—decided to let their hair down. Albus was quite overwhelmed at all the food choices: Uncountable, fat roast turkeys; heaps of roasted and boiled potatoes; huge ships of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce—and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. Finally, Albus decided to heap some of everything on to his plate and ended up not eating half of it.

The wizard crackers just didn't just bang—they went off with a blast. Soon, the table was covered with smoke of all colors. Scorpius had gotten a flowery bonnet—which Albus forced him to wear—and Albus had gotten a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit. Elina had found a silver sickle in her slice of cake, which everyone had found hilarious.

The most amusing part of the evening, however, was when Professor Moore and Professor Patil had drunk so much wine that they had started dancing around the Great Hall, their hats lopsided.

Other than all this, Albus noticed something else strange. Elina was getting along very well with all the professors—_too _well, actually. She acted like the professors were her family, and Albus remembered that she hadn't been on the boats and all the teachers had clapped exceptionally loudly at her Sorting.

Did Elina live at Hogwarts? Albus wasn't given much time to puzzle over this, because soon Christmas dinner was over and Albus and Scorpius were walking through the dungeons. Once they had reached the Slytherin common room, the two boys were too full and sleepy to do anything but throw pillows at each other.

However, something had been nagging at Albus for the whole day, and he finally remembered it when he climbed into bed: _the Invisibility Cloak. _Deciding that he would try it out some other day, Albus fell fast asleep.

* * *

Albus jerked awake the morning after Christmas, realizing that it was the break of dawn and Scorpius was snoring in the next bed.

_Well, _Albus thought. _I can't go back to sleep now, can I?_

He changed into his robes and left the dungeons, unsure of what he was going to do so early. Then he remembered what Hoffman had said about the Potions Master's Haven. He decided to go to the seventh-floor corridor and try what Hoffman had told him to do.

On the way, nothing significant happened, (unless you counted Peeves dropping hot chocolate on Albus' head) and soon he had arrived on the seventh floor. He saw a tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy's futile attempt to teach trolls ballet and walked toward it. Albus remembered that Hoffman had told him to walk three times along the corridor and think of the Potions Master's Haven.

Albus felt incredibly stupid as he did so, but he need not have worried. He had only gone the length of the corridor once when he ran into the person he least wanted to see—Irving.

"POTTER!" Irving snarled, grabbing Albus by the shoulder. Albus gulped and stepped backwards in alarm, the fear evident on every inch of his face.

"P-Professor—" Albus spluttered. _Please don't kill me, _he begged inside his head.

"What are you doing out of bed so early?" Irving asked.

"I thought I'd g-go for a walk, sir," Albus muttered. Then he suddenly grew angry. Irving had no right to chase him away from where he wanted to go!

_He can't hurt me in Hogwarts. He wouldn't dare! I don't have to be scared of him, _Albus convinced himself. Then Albus remembered that Irving had not hesitated to hurt him with his ice-blue eyes several times, not to mention when Irving had tried to kill him during the Quidditch match.

Irving was dangerous.

"Well, stay away from this corridor," Irving snarled. "You look rather suspicious."

"So do you," Albus remarked before he could stop himself. _I won't show my fear anymore. I'm standing up for myself. He doesn't deserve my respect. _

Irving's ice-blue eyes met Albus' emerald green ones, and Albus felt pain run through him like a shock.

_How can he hurt me? _Albus wondered angrily.

Irving snorted and took out his wand and tapped it on his palm impatiently. "You'd be surprised to find out how many people can hurt you, Potter. Aren't you glad that it's just me right now?"

Albus gritted his teeth at Irving, but was unsettled. _How does he know what I'm thinking—and what does he mean by that, anyways?_

"I suggest not wandering around alone anymore," Irving snarled, stalking toward the end of the corridor, "for your own _good_, Potter. I'll be watching you..." With those words, Irving was gone.

Albus gulped and gripped his own wand tighter. He doubted that Irving would let him come to the Potions Master's Haven in broad daylight, so Albus had to find another way. He wasn't going to listen to Irving's warning.

_I guess now's the time to use that cloak that Dad sent me._

* * *

Precisely at midnight, Albus went upstairs to receive his cloak from under his bed. He felt reassured by the soft, almost liquid-like feeling of the cloth and picked it up.

He put on the Invisibility Cloak and looked back at Scorpius, who was snoring. _This is my father's Invisibility Cloak. I'll go alone this first time, _Albus thought. He walked out of the Slytherin common room, shivering in the cold darkness.

Slowly, he ascended to the seventh floor. He passed several school ghosts, all of which looked in his direction with confused expressions on their faces, unable to see him. Albus' worst fear was Peeves, who Albus mercifully did not meet on the way.

Finally, Albus arrived at the seventh floor and walked the hallway three times, thinking, '_I need the Potions Master's Haven' _as hard as he could. The third time he did so, a door popped out from nowhere.

Albus waited outside the door for a second, excited for what he was going to see. He couldn't wait to use the special supplies and information the Potions Master's Haven surely had in store for him.

He walked into a dark corridor with black stone walls. When Albus took another tentative step, the lamps along the corridor lit up. The flames were an eerie shade of green. Cautiously, Albus continued along the corridor, wondering exactly where he was. Feeling a bit warm, Albus removed the cloak.

This certainly wasn't the Potions Master's Haven—Albus couldn't see any cauldrons or ingredients anywhere.

Then, out of nowhere, Albus heard a whooshing noise from in front of him. The green light from the lamps was too dim, and Albus couldn't see what had made the noise. Slowly, a figure came into view. Albus strained his eyes to take a better look and suddenly wished that he hadn't. It was a _spirit_. Hoffman had called them 'Guardian Spirits' on Halloween.

But it wasn't just one.

It was an _army _of them. Albus let out a squeak of fear and turned around in order to run back out on to the seventh floor, but the door that Albus had used to come in was no longer there.

He couldn't leave. Fighting the urge to faint, he turned back toward the spirits. They were worse than he remembered, and he was frozen to the spot in fear. Then, as one, the spirits let out an immense bellow of anger.

Albus let out a strangled gasp and huddled against the wall. Then, the spirits came closer, and he finally took control of himself. He whipped out his wand and yelled, "_Lumos solem!_"

The spirits at the front wailed with pain and shrunk away from the light. Albus yelled the spell again, driving them further backwards.

Then, quite suddenly, they began to speak. "_We must protect the Orb. The Opponent is here, and we must destroy him."_

Albus, shocked that they could talk, was taken by surprise when the army of Guardian Spirits suddenly surged forward. He felt his heart turn cold as the mist touched him, realizing that he was going to die and that the spirits weren't going to give up.

_What a terrible way to go, _Albus thought. _I haven't even made up with my family yet._

And it was his family and friends that gave Albus his strength. "STOP!" he yelled. A familiar sensation took over him, and the dark power was running through him once more. Albus drew from this sinister power, feeling invincible. At top of his voice, he shouted, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" To Albus' great shock, the spirits obeyed his orders. They stopped, looking confused. "GO AWAY!" Albus continued, pointing his wand at them.

They disintegrated into mist just as he finished his order.

Albus gasped and stumbled backwards, shocked at what he had just done. The feeling of immense power left him, and he now simply felt weak-kneed.

To his horror, more spirits appeared in place of the old ones, but they were different than the others. Instead of a terrifying, misty white, they were a calming blue. Albus felt strangely content, but he could not imagine why. _More spirits? They're not attacking me... are they a different kind than the 'Guardian Spirits'?_

Every single one of the spirits stared straight at him with their hollow eyes. As one, they spoke.

"_We are the Phantasm Spirits. The Final Paradox, we beg you to fulfill your destiny."_

"What are you talking about?" Albus demanded. He couldn't think clearly—the 'Phantasm Spirits' had a dizzying effect over him.

"_We show you our Realm... the Realm which you must destroy and save...," _they chanted.

Then, the world around Albus began to spin. He could see everything distort around him as he was drawn toward the crowd of Phantasm Spirits. Albus tried to run the other way, but it was hopeless. He could do nothing as he was sucked into the very spirits themselves.

Albus shut his eyes tightly, hoping whatever was happening wasn't happening to him.

And suddenly, everything stopped spinning. He was thrown out on to a hard surface. Albus opened his eyes slowly, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into. He got up cautiously and looked around. The place he had landed in was extremely strange. Everything around him was an unsettling indigo blue shade, yet he could not see anything at all. It was simply an empty space. The only thing he could see was a group of people outlined in black standing far away.

He began running towards them, and as he neared them, he saw that they were people he knew. His mother, father, sister, and brother were among the crowd. His whole family, including Rose, was also present. Albus saw Scorpius and Elina there, too. He couldn't properly see their faces—it was too dark. Albus was utterly confused. _My whole family is supposed to be at home! And aren't Scorpius and Elina at Hogwarts? Why are they here, then?_

He tried to remember what the Phantasm Spirits had said to him. They had said they were going to show him a 'Realm.' _Of course, _Albus realized. _This isn't real. It's a dream or vision—or something like that._

He finally reached his family and friends. He was close enough to see the expressions on their faces. He turned cold with fear. Their eyes were blank and haunted. They flickered and suddenly disappeared, causing Albus to yell out in shock.

"_Albus Severus Potter, turn around and face me,"_ came a cold voice from behind Albus. He whirled around automatically.

It was figure in a blood-red cloak. Albus could not see his face at all.

"_Your family and friends are dead,"_ said the figure in a low, cruel voice. _"Submit your powers to me, and I will bring them back."_

Albus gasped and stepped backwards. "What powers?" he demanded.

"_You know!" _snarled the figure. "_You have always known." _The figure suddenly cackled. It was a ruthless, insane laugh. _"They say that you are the only one who can stop me, but you are nothing but a fool."_

With those words, everything in the Phantasm Realm turned black. Albus felt the darkness pressing in on him, wrapping him in its deadly clutches. Albus began to glow bright green, refusing to be taken down. He could vaguely see a dark red glow off in the distance and began to walk towards it.

Both Albus and the figure in red glowed brighter and brighter, until the Realm was bathed in both emerald green and blood-red. Albus moved closer to the figure, reaching his hand out...

Suddenly, everything began to spin again. Albus shouted out as his surroundings twisted and distorted. The mysterious figure in the blood-red cloak disappeared in the gloom, and Albus felt himself being sucked backwards. He was thrown back out on to the stone floor in the supposed 'Potions Master's Haven.' He opened his eyes, hoping that the nightmare was over. He was indeed back in that room on the seventh floor.

_How do I get away? _Albus thought frantically. _I need a door out of here! _Albus struggled to his feet and saw a door appear in front of him. Albus seized his Invisibility Cloak and ran. He ran as fast as he could, not stopping until he got to the Slytherin dormitories.

_What just happened? _he thought, hoping against hope that he had been hallucinating or having a nightmare.


	12. The Opponent of the Orb

**-Chapter Twelve-**

**The Opponent of the Orb**

"Everyone was talking about you during the holidays," Rose informed Albus when she returned from break on the day before school resumed, "and they weren't saying very nice things, either."

"Thank you, Rose," Albus said sarcastically.

"I also noticed something odd," Rose added, scratching her chin. "Uncle Harry and Dad were a bit nervous about something. I don't know what, but I heard your name."

"They probably think I'm going to become the next Dark Lord," Albus snorted angrily, "since I'm in Slytherin."

"Don't joke about that!" Rose shrieked while Scorpius snickered.

Albus sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. He hadn't yet told Scorpius and Rose about what had happened to him on the seventh floor. Every day since his terrifying night adventure, Albus had woken up screaming at the top his voice, fresh from a recent nightmare.

Albus couldn't exactly recall what had happened in that 'Realm.' He knew that he had gone there, but he couldn't pick out the details. The scene wasn't very clear in his mind, and the memory was already slipping raked his brain, but he couldn't remember what had happened after the Phantasm Spirits had sucked him away...

* * *

School continued as usual. One Friday afternoon during a particularly torturous Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Albus was doodling idly on a piece of his parchment, not bothering to take notes—he already knew what Irving was talking about, anyways.

Albus jumped when he heard whispering behind him.

"Nesbitt, do you have my homework?" Eric Derlwin hissed.

Albus whirled around to watch the popular Gryffindor boys and the shaking Slytherin sitting near them.

"Y-Yes," Oswald mumbled, handing over several rolls of parchment. Derlwin smiled smugly and scrawled his name on top of it.

"Good job imitating my handwriting, Ozzie. I'll be sure to tell my friends not to hex you today," Derlwin told Oswald.

Oswald gulped and nodded nervously.

Albus was absolutely furious. "What are you doing, Nesbitt?" Albus demanded. "Did I hear right? Are you really doing this git's homework?"

Oswald gulped and turned red. "I-I d-don't want to get hurt, and they'll hurt me if I don't do what they ask," he wailed.

"Stand up to him!" Albus said. "And why is he asking you do his homework? I'm sorry, but you're not very—er—bright."

Oswald narrowed his eyes angrily. "I'm not, am I? Perhaps you've never bothered to take a second look at me. I may not me good at magic, but I can think."

Albus snorted with disgust and whirled back around, seething. It was idiots like Oswald who were letting the Slytherins get walked over!

"Now, I want you all to turn in your essays," Irving said, finally having finished his pointless lecture.

Albus gritted his teeth as Derlwin smugly handed in Oswald's work.

Once Irving was done collecting, the bell rang and everyone ran toward the door. On his way there, Derlwin pushed Albus off his chair, snickering. Grumbling, Albus rubbed his stinging arm. Then he froze in shock as Hoffman walked into the class. Albus peered out from under his desk, wondering why Hoffman was coming to visit Irving. The two Heads of Houses weren't exactly friends.

"Irving, I know what you're up to," snarled Hoffman.

"Ah?" Irving sneered. "So the great snake finally realized something?"

"How childish," Hoffman hissed. "I know you're trying to steal the _Phantasm Orb_."

Irving widened his eyes. "How dare you accuse me of_—_" he began angrily.

"I don't just accuse you," Hoffman interrupted, "I threaten you. If I see that you've taken one step out of line, I'll go straight to Harry Potter himself."

The look on Irving's face was pure hatred. "Get out of my classroom!" he spat at the other professor.

"Very well," Hoffman agreed. "But be warned. You will _not _win—if I can help it." With those words, Hoffman strolled out of the room.

Albus was still crouching underneath his desk, not daring to breathe. Irving finally noticed him.

"POTTER! What are you still doing here?" Irving demanded furiously. Albus ran out of the room as fast as he could.

_So, Hoffman suspects Irving, _Albus thought as he walked to the Great Hall to find Rose and Scorpius. _And he thinks that Irving is trying to steal the 'Phantasm Orb.'_

Albus was finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Fortunately, he found his two best friends walking toward the Great Hall. They were arguing about something, as usual.

"I can't believe you hang out with _Derlwin,_" Scorpius sneered. "He's a complete idiot."

"Don't say that!" Rose snapped. "Eric is one of my best friends! I bet you're just jealous!"

Scorpius spluttered and turned faintly pink. "Why would I be jealous of _him?_"

"I don't know," Rose snapped back, "but you obviously are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am _not_!"

"Be quiet," Albus said. "I've figured something out."

Both of them turned around to stare at him, both still very pink-faced from their argument.

"What?" Scorpius asked irritably, still glaring at Rose.

Albus told them everything he had overheard.

"Wait a moment... So, there's an object at Hogwarts called the Phantasm Orb," Rose said uncertainly.

Albus slapped a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe I've been so stupid! The first week of school I went to Hagrid's for tea, and I read the newspaper. According to that article, Headmaster Triton requested that an item from Gringotts and hid it somewhere in Hogwarts!"

Scorpius' eyes lit up with excitement. "Didn't Triton say at the Start-of-Term Feast that the third-floor corridor was banned? We ran into a spirit there, I remember! Hoffman called them 'Guardian Spirits.' Do you think they could be there to guard this Phantasm Orb?" he said eagerly.

"You're right! I bet this Orb is hidden somewhere in the forbidden third-floor corridor!" Albus yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

"Let's go to the library!" Rose suggested. "I want to look this up."

The three first years tore down the hallway and ran straight into the library, causing Madame Pince to glare at them.

"Look for 'Phantasm Orb'!" Albus ordered Rose as she began to search among the shelves.

"Nothing like that here—wait—there's a book called: _Powerful Magical Objects of the Wizarding World._" Rose said, pulling out a very large book. "Do you think it could be here?"

"Check it," Scorpius said.

Rose flipped to the table of contents and turned to a page in the middle of the book. "Here it is! The Phantasm Orb," she said with a dramatic flourish.

"Tell us, then," Scorpius snapped.

Rose gave him a very nasty look before reading from the page. "The Phantasm Orb is an extremely powerful magic object that is capable of mass destruction. It is named because of the realm it houses inside of it—the mysterious Phantasm Realm. The Orb can give the Possessor whatever he or she wants. However, the Possessor has to pass certain trials to obtain the Orb."

"What trials?" Albus wondered.

"It doesn't say," Rose told him. "Anyways, I'll continue: The Orb also has an Opponent, a person of immense magical power. When the Orb senses the Opponent, it activates a self-defense mechanism."

"I suppose this self-defense mechanism is the Guardian Spirits?" Scorpius suggested dryly.

"Shut up, smart-arse," Rose snapped at the pale-faced boy. "When it feels threatened, the Orb releases Guardian Spirits, who will chase down and destroy the Opponent. The Phantasm Orb also has a self-destruction mechanism."

"Does it say what that is?" Scorpius asked.

"No, it doesn't," Rose admitted. "But there's more: The Phantasm Orb is extremely dangerous and can ruin the world with its power. If there should come a time when it needs to be destroyed, this self-destruction mechanism will activate. The chapter ends here. Rather short, wasn't it?"

The trio sat in silence for a few seconds.

"So," Scorpius began. "Irving's trying to steal the Phantasm Orb? I honestly can't blame him. I mean, it grants your wishes. I'd want it for myself."

Albus nodded in agreement. Then he remembered what the Guardian Spirits had said when he had met them on the night after Christmas. Hadn't they said that the Opponent was nearby?

Albus looked at his best friends' faces, wondering whether to tell them or not.

"I—er—have something to say," Albus confessed. He told them the first half of his adventure, but faltered when he got to the point where he met the Phantasm Spirits.

"Wait a moment—so they all disappeared?" Rose interrupted. "And what were these new spirits like?"

"The Phantasm Spirits were blue," Albus told her. "And—uh—they disappeared, too."

Albus left out the part where the Guardian Spirits had obeyed his orders (and his vision in the 'Phantasm Realm.') He felt incredibly guilty—he was lying to his best friends!

_I barely even remember what happened there, anyways, _he thought, trying to console himself.

"So, they said that the Opponent of the Orb is at Hogwarts?" Rose said.

Albus nodded.

"You overheard Hoffman accusing Irving of stealing the Orb, right?" Scorpius said. "I think he's right, actually. Irving's bang out of order."

Rose bit her lip. "Well, I think you should tell Professor Hoffman, Al. If he's trying to figure all this out, he'll want to know everything that happened," she advised.

"All right," Albus said immediately. "He's the one that sent me to the seventh-floor corridor to look for the Potions Master's Haven. He should know that it's dangerous there."

Once they had finished their discussion, the three first years walked out of the library, thinking about what they had just figured out.

Albus went straight to speak to his favorite professor in the dungeons, leaving Rose and Scorpius to continue their argument.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but I went to see the Potions Master's Haven," Albus said nervously as he approached his teacher.

Albus noticed that he wasn't stuttering. Perhaps his self-confidence was growing after all.

Hoffman looked pleased. "Oh, you did? A fabulous place, isn't it?"

Albus let out a sigh. "I didn't see it, Professor. I walked into this strange corridor instead, and I met an army of Guardian Spirits."

"How do you know about the Phantasm Orb?" Hoffman demanded, looking pale.

"Er—extra research," Albus spluttered.

Hoffman was quiet for a moment. "My dear, this was certainly not planned. I must let Headmaster Triton know immediately. The fact that you and your friends have constantly been running into spirits is unsettling. What connection could _you_ possibly have to the Orb?" Hoffman said.

"Sir, I don't exactly know what you're talking about. Didn't the Headmaster want the Orb to be kept at Hogwarts?" Albus asked.

Hoffman gave him a shocked look. "How much do you know, exactly?"

Albus turned slightly pink. "I-I'm not sure. N-Not much," he lied.

"Yes. But it was a stupid decision. By keeping the Orb at Hogwarts, we have endangered the entire world. I want you to believe me when I say that some people want that Orb for reasons that are not completely personal."

"I don't understand," Albus said. "Do you mean—they don't want the Orb just to grant their wishes? Why else would they want it? _Who_ exactly are you implying?"

"I cannot say just yet, but I am doing some investigating," Hoffman informed Albus.

"What are you investigating?" Albus wondered.

Hoffman smiled at him proudly. "All right, don't be shocked, Al. I think Professor Irving is trying to steal the Orb." He paused dramatically, looking over at Albus.

Albus, obviously, did not look surprised. He had overheard Hoffman saying the same thing to Irving earlier. "I-I think so, too, sir."

Hoffman looked pleased that Albus had figured this out. "Good. Here's why I think so: Just a few weeks ago, I saw him poking him around the place where the Orb's hidden. I can't tell you where that is, though."

Albus already knew that the Orb was being kept in the third-floor corridor, but he decided to appear innocent. "All right, sir."

"Don't look so disappointed," Hoffman chuckled. "I don't think you have to worry about it. You'd be a good Auror, though. You've got that curiosity about you. I see a thirst to solve the mystery in your eyes."

Albus wasn't sure what to say about this, so he remained quiet.

"The Orb has plenty of protection—it's very difficult to become its Possessor," Hoffman continued. "I think it'll be safe just as long as Irving doesn't get any bold ideas."

Albus nodded uncertainly.

"All right, I think I gave too much up," Hoffman said, suddenly looking stern. "Don't hope to squeeze so much information about me ever again. Also, don't go near the Potions Master's Haven again—it's deadly there. Thanks for telling me, or no one would have known about this danger. Why did the spirits go there, I wonder...?"

Albus shrugged. The meeting with Hoffman had been pretty pointless—Albus already knew everything! But at least he had confirmed one thing: Irving was indeed after the Phantasm Orb.

Albus wasn't going to ignore trouble in front of his eyes.

_I'm going to watch Irving, and I'm going to make sure he doesn't steal the Orb, _Albus decided.

He made his way to the Great Hall, hoping to find Rose and Scorpius to tell them what had happened. To his horror, he was cornered by Derlwin, James and the rest of the popular, athletic boys.

"It's the loser!" James said gleefully, pushing Albus to the ground. Albus sprung back up on his feet immediately and whipped out his wand.

"How terrifying," Derlwin snorted.

"Not terrifying, am I?" Albus asked dangerously. "_Adfigo!_"

The effect was instantaneous. Derlwin was pinned to the wall, unable to move an inch.

Albus grinned widely. He and Scorpius had invented that spell together.

James growled, "Let him go, Snivellus!"

"I will not," Albus said smugly.

"That's it, you little traitor. I'm going to hurt you—and I don't care if it's with my fists or not!" James snarled, advancing forward.

"Because you're too stupid to use your wand—_Accelero!_" Albus yelled while pointing his wand at himself.

Then he was off, running impossibly fast for a human. The Accelerating Charm, an NEWT level spell, was rather useful—especially when escaping bullies.

Albus ran straight to the library, knowing it was hopeless. The prefects and teachers always turned a blind eye whenever James Potter was involved, and he rarely got detentions.

James stalked inside, looking murderous. Derlwin stumbled after him, his robes ripped and punctured with pins. Albus grinned despite the situation. Derlwin certainly deserved it, especially because he had been forcing Oswald to do his homework. Albus wasn't sure why both Rose and Elina were friends with boys like James and Derlwin.

"There he is!" James yelled. Albus gulped and wondered whether to use his wand or not. The prefects would certainly not hesitate to give _him _detention, for Albus was possibly the most hated person in the school.

But he need not have worried, because Elina walked into the library at that very second. He was momentarily stunned by her appearance, and apparently so was James.

"Elina, what are you doing here?" James asked, brushing a hand through his hair to make it even messier. Albus did the exact opposite by smoothing his own hair down to make it neater. Only James' attempt succeeded.

"James, what's going on?" Elina asked, looking confused. She glanced at Albus cowering against a table and the other boys surrounding him with either their fists or wands out. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

Albus stood up straighter, not wanting Elina to think that he was a complete wimp.

"Nothing, _Ellie_," James said soothingly.

Albus grimaced at James' tone. Were Elina and James close enough for James to give her affectionate nicknames?

"James," Elina scolded, "you know I don't like that name."

Albus sighed with relief.

"Anyways, you didn't answer my question properly! Are you being mean to Al?" Elina demanded.

"Why are you and Traitor Slime on first name terms?" James snapped.

"Don't call him that, James," she said angrily, her pretty blue-violet eyes flashing. "Al and I are friends."

It took a few seconds for Elina's words to sink into both boys' minds, as both James and Albus were too busy staring at her dreamily.

James recovered himself quicker than Albus did. "_Friends? _You're supposed to be friends with _me_, not _him_!_" _James squeaked furiously while Albus flushed pink.

"I can be friends with both of you," Elina said, rolling her eyes. "So, leave him alone or I'll go straight to the Headmaster."

"Whatever," James grumbled. Clearly, nobody wanted to argue with Elina, who was somehow very pretty and very frightening at the same time.

As James began to leave the library, he turned back to Elina and held out his hand, causing Albus to stiffen with fury. "Come on, Elina," James said.

"I want to make sure Al is okay first," Elina insisted.

James shot Albus a death glare before storming out with his group of mindless friends.

"Are you all right?" Elina asked once James had left, putting her arm around Albus.

He took a deep breath and felt lightheaded. She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. "F-Fine. I could have taken them," Albus muttered, his face very red.

"Are you sure?" Elina said nervously. She moved closer, and he could see her stunning eyes very clearly.

"I'm sure," Albus told her, feeling very warm all of a sudden.

"James is so stupid sometimes," she said. "I mean, I would usually let him get away with it, but not with _you, _Al."

Albus wasn't exactly sure what to say to this. He knew that James and Elina were best friends—and perhaps more—but he had never actually considered that she had been helping James prank Slytherins like Rose did.

"It's not what you think," Elina said quickly. "I don't prank anyone! I would never—it's completely cruel. I don't think the Slytherins deserve that. All that stuff with Voldemort happened years ago."

Albus, who was used to hearing Voldemort's name, did not flinch. He wasn't too surprised that Elina used it, because she was a Gryffindor. She was very brave, and not in the reckless way that James was. Elina was brave enough to stand up for the scum of the school like Albus, and he thought that was _true _courage.

He felt fluttery inside. Elina always made him feel dizzy and uncoordinated. Albus wanted to impress her, though at the moment all he had was her pity. He had been dubbed the Loser of Hogwarts and was the disgrace of his family. There was no chance that she—one of the most popular girls in the whole school—would be interested in him.

* * *

The morning of the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw dawned cloudy and cold. Albus was very nervous—as usual—but it seemed that the rest of Slytherin was in high spirits.

"You'll do great, as always," Scorpius said, looking bored. "I personally don't care about Quidditch, but I do want Slytherin to beat the Gryffindors after years of being used as a stepping mat."

"Something will go wrong again," Albus wailed. "What if Irving is the referee? He dared to try to kill me with _Dad _watching, so I think he might be daring enough to try a second time."

"Very true," Scorpius said, "but he's not stupid enough to try when Hoffman suspects him."

Suddenly, Hemley strolled toward Albus, looking very confident. "Eat, Al! It's a big match, but I'm sure you'll do fine. I can't wait until Slytherin's name is on the Cup. Imagine me, Wyatt Hemley, the captain of the team that brought victory to Slytherin. Then again, it'll all be thanks to you."

Albus turned pink and looked down at his plate in order to avoid meeting Hemley's eyes. Albus did not want to let his captain down, but he had a terrible feeling that something was going to go wrong again.

Then Albus looked at the Gryffindor table to see the Gryffindors milling around, not looking particularly interested. After all, they were confident that they were going to win both the House and Quidditch Cups like they had for nineteen years straight.

_I'm going to prove them wrong, _Albus thought. He looked around at the Slytherins, who seemed happier than usual. Among the whole school, (not counting Slytherin) Albus was hated for being a 'traitor.' Among the Slytherins, Albus was admired for being the only one who could improve their name.

Elina ran toward him, her very long light brown hair flowing behind her. "Good luck, Al!" she said happily, throwing her arms around his neck.

Albus turned very red and spluttered a thank you. Albus saw Rose approaching from the Gryffindor table once Elina had let go of him.

"I hope you do well," Rose said guardedly. "Not_ too_ well—I want the Cup for Gryffindor."

"Oh, really?" Scorpius said. "Well, prepare to be disappointed. It will be Slytherin who'll kick Gryffindor's—"

Rose gave him a very nasty look and interrupted him. "Oh, really? In case you've forgotten, Gryffindor has James, the Quidditch prodigy—"

"And Slytherin has Al," Scorpius interrupted. "In case _you've _forgotten, Al totally destroyed James at the first Quidditch match."

"That's only because he tricked James!" Rose snapped. "That was such a _low_ thing to do—"

"It was not!" Albus protested. "Gryffindor hasn't been entirely innocent either. They don't mind breaking rules at all—and nobody stops them!"

Rose turned purple, but Elina put a calming hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's all right, Rose. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin have their flaws. There's no use fighting about it," Elina said.

Rose gritted her teeth and stalked away, leaving Elina with the two seething Slytherin boys.

"That's it," Scorpius said furiously. "I'm going to kill her!" He ran after Rose, screaming obscenities at her as she screamed them back.

Elina tapped Albus on the shoulder, drawing his attention away from Rose and Scorpius. "Really, Al. Please be careful. Promise me that you won't pull a trick like that ever again. I was so scared that day. There was an odd look in your eyes when you used the Wronski Feint on James," Elina said.

All the fight left Albus. "All right, Elina," he said quietly. "I won't."

Elina smiled. "Thanks, Al. I don't want you, James, or anyone else to get hurt."

After that, there wasn't much to do but head out to the Slytherin changing rooms. A murderous-looking Scorpius joined Albus and the rest of the team. "I can't believe Rose. I can't _believe_ her," Scorpius kept repeating. "She'll get it when Slytherin wins all the glory. She'll be begging me for mercy—in fact. I won't let her live in peace."

Albus did not doubt this.

A few minutes later, the Slytherin team walked out on to the field to general booing and jeering. The Ravenclaw team, who was decked in bronze and blue, was greeted much more positively. Albus was very pleased to see that Madam Hooch was the referee. She would at least be fair, unlike Irving had been.

As all the players flew into the air, Albus tried to feel confident—something he didn't feel very often.

_Let's do this, _he thought.

* * *

It was over in less than five minutes.

Albus held the snitch high above his head while the Ravenclaw Seeker, a fourth year with blond pigtails and glasses, burst into tears and chucked her broom at the ground.

"NO WAY!" Richie Red screamed into the magical microphone. "NOT AGAIN! They can't have won _again! _That bloody Al-pus Snivelly!"

The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws booed, but the Slytherins cheered so loudly that they finally made themselves heard.

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER!" the silver and green crowd chanted, their voices mingling to form one. They picked him up just like they had when he had won the match against Gryffindor and carried him off the pitch.

The look on Irving's face was positively murderous.

* * *

"That was brilliant, that was," Hemley said gleefully, thumping Albus on the back. Albus winced. Unlike him, Hemley was quite strong.

"Must be some sort of record," said Edward Mylens, who was a Chaser. "It was under five minutes!"

"It was!" Scorpius said. He had joined the Slytherin team in the changing rooms after the match. "The look on Rose's face was priceless. Slytherin winning again can't be good for Gryffindor!" he continued happily.

"I want to make a short speech," Hemley interrupted, "to a Slytherin hero."

Everyone looked at Albus in awe and admiration. There were many other Slytherins crowded in the changing room as well, all wanting to shake his hand and compliment him.

"H-Hero?" Albus spluttered. _"M-Me?" _He was used to descriptions such as loser, traitor, and disgrace, but _hero_ wasn't one of them.

"Yes, Al. It is you, Albus Severus Potter, that gives Slytherin the strength to fight! It was a happy day for us when you were sorted into Slytherin. I think we should have all clapped," Hemley said. "Let's make it up to him by clapping now!"

The cheering was deafening. Albus grinned widely.

"I say it's true that James Potter is the King of Hogwarts, but I also think it's true that Albus Potter is the _King of Slytherin_! All those who agree with me, raise your hands!" Hemley ordered.

Every single person in the Slytherin changing rooms held up their hands solemnly.

Albus was completely overwhelmed.

Hemley continued his pep talk. "Hear me when I say that Slytherin will rise to victory! WE WILL SHOW RAVENCLAW, HUFFLEPUFF, AND _ESPECIALLY_ GRYFFINDOR WHAT WE CAN DO!" he yelled.

There was even more cheering and clapping.

Finally, everyone had left for the party in the Slytherin common room. Only Albus remained, reflecting in his victory.

Slytherin was changing. Slytherin was returning to its past strength. Soon, Slytherin would once again be feared and respected instead of being smeared into the floor and taken for granted. Albus sat down on a bench, thinking about how much his life had changed ever since he was Sorted into Slytherin.

He had been the outcast. Albus had been the quiet, stuttering, and greasy little boy who had been teased because he was different from everyone else. But now, Albus finally fit in somewhere.

Slytherin was his _home._

Suddenly, Albus' head began to throb. He gasped and clutched it, unsure of what was happening. Everything became blurry, and Albus checked to see whether his glasses were still on. He let out a gasp of shock.

Then the pain in his head peaked. He groaned and sunk into the ground. His whole body hurt—he felt like he had just been shocked. This was worse than anything Irving had done to him. Albus closed his eyes, wishing that the pain would just go away.

Strangely enough, Albus saw visions flicker past in front of his eyes. He saw a boy huddled in the grass, ripping the tendrils into pieces. He saw a large group of people in blood-red cloaks. He saw an army of terrible creatures—creatures that weren't Guardian Spirits. He saw a crumbling Hogwarts.

He yelled with fear and jumped back up on his feet.

The pain left him just as quickly as it had come, and Albus could barely remember what he had seen.


	13. The War of the Two Kings

**-Chapter Thirteen-**

**The War of the Two Kings**

Albus was in high spirits after the Quidditch match, and so was the whole of Slytherin. They would wave to him and compliment him just as much as the other Houses hexed him and insulted him. Albus, who had always been the most hated person at Hogwarts, was now the most loved person in Slytherin. (Strangely enough, most people didn't really consider Slytherin as a part of Hogwarts.)

"You know," Scorpius said a week after the match against Ravenclaw. "You're in a position of power now in Slytherin, so you can tell them to fight back."

"What?" Albus said. "Oh... I should..."

Albus remembered what he had thought at the beginning of school. He had told himself that he was going to lead Slytherin to victory, and now Albus had his chance. He was about to continue speaking when he and Scorpius ran straight into James, Derlwin, and Oswald.

"You're such an idiot," James was chuckling at Oswald. "You don't know how to defend yourself, do you? This'll be fun, won't it, Eric?"

"I think it will," Derlwin snickered. "He's my favorite." Suddenly, two of James and Derlwin's mindless thugs surged forward and trapped Oswald against the wall.

Albus and Scorpius froze with fury. Neither of them really liked Oswald, but they couldn't stand to see a fellow Slytherin in trouble.

"Let him go," Albus began dangerously, taking his wand out.

"Or we'll make you," Scorpius finished, also pulling out his wand.

James and Derlwin burst into laughter. "They're like twins," Derlwin chortled. "Two scrawny, nerdy, and cowardly Slytherins."

Albus gritted his teeth and said, "You're the cowardly ones. Ten against one—that's very brave, isn't it? Do you always do this, even when your victim is six years old? I can answer that one, James. You did it every day to me. Remember?"

James narrowed his eyes. "Take that back, Snivellus!"

"I will not, Gryffindork!" Albus snarled. "Don't you want a rematch? Remember when you lost that duel? Want to try that again?"

"You lost a duel to this wimp?" Derlwin demanded, looking amused.

"Shut up," James snapped. "He used that freakish bright green light, or whatever it's called. He did that to you, too, if I heard right."

Derlwin fell quiet.

"All right," James continued. "Why don't we have nice little duel? Whoever wins gets Oswald."

"Please, you don't have to do this," Oswald begged Albus and Scorpius. "They always do this to me. I'm used to it, really."

"No," Albus growled. "You need to stand up for yourself. See how it's done." With those words, Albus pointed his wand at James.

"I want to duel the vampire," Derlwin sniggered, gesturing to Scorpius. "He's spending a little too much time with _my_ Rose."

"_What?"_ Scorpius thundered. "That's it—you've just crossed the line, Derl-_lose_!"

"Bring it on, Mal-_fail!_" Derlwin sneered.

Quite a few people had gathered around James, Derlwin, Albus, and Scorpius. Most of them were supporting James and Derlwin, but they were a few Slytherins who were cheering for the scrawnier, less-liked boys. Albus wished that a professor would walk in on the duel and stop it.

"Good one, Eric. I do believe that Al-_pus_ Snivelly here has also been getting too friendly with _my_ Elina. Let's teach them a lesson, shouldn't we?" James said.

"Are we fighting for the girls or Oswald?" Scorpius whispered to Albus, who shrugged.

Richie Red, James' number one fan, whooped loudly and said, "I'll start the countdown if you want. I can give a commentary. Wait—I'll take pictures, too!"

"Are you sure you want proof of me hexing you into oblivion?" Albus taunted his older brother.

"No, but I'm sure that I'll have enough pictures of you bawling your head off to send to every relative," James retorted.

Richie Red beamed in excitement and began his commentary. "All right—we've got the brave James Potter versus his wimpy yet traitorous little brother, Alpus Snivellus the Slimeball. Sorry—I know you don't like to be related to him, James. Then there's Eric Derlwin, the strongest first year in the school against the vampire made out of parchment, Malfunctioning Malfoul. Who will win? Take your bets now. It shouldn't be too difficult to get some money. No one's going to bet on the _losers._"

There was some shuffling among the crowd. It was so loud that Albus was seriously expecting a professor to come walking into the corridor at any moment. He know desperately wished that someone would stop the duel. Albus wasn't sure if he could use that bright green light again—_whatever_ it was.

"Everyone done? Okay... three... two... one. GO!" All four boys started too early and none of them bowed, but nobody seemed to care.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Derlwin said.

"_Ventus!" _James yelled.

"_Oppilo remitto!_" said both Slytherin boys, sending the spells back at the casters. Unfortunately, both Derlwin and James managed to dodge.

"Not so confident with your wand, are you, Derlwin?" Scorpius sneered.

"I'll be much more confident when your face is bleeding!" Derlwin snarled back.

"Oh—I know just the spell!" Scorpius said. "_Exsilio pigmentum!_"

Albus grinned. Scorpius had used one of their first inventions—a spell that caused Scorpius' wand to squirt red paint from its tip.

The paint splattered all over Derlwin's face, and the oaf ran around screaming, "I'M DYING!"

"It's just paint, Eric!" James said furiously. "Don't let me down!"

Derlwin looked very embarrassed, but finally managed to regain himself. "You're just Death Eater spawn, Malfoy. How's your grandfather doing in Azkaban? Is your father still praying to that Dark Mark?" Derlwin jeered.

Scorpius' self-control shattered. "TAKE THAT BACK!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

Albus was horrified. "Scorpius—_no_! Just use your wand!" Albus said as Scorpius abandoned his wand and leapt at Derlwin.

This had evidently been Derlwin's goal from the beginning. He had always been more comfortable with his fists than with his wand. Albus winced as the two boys began _muggle_ dueling. There would be no question of the winner. There was cheering from nearly everyone, but a few Slytherins were egging Scorpius on. There was no hope. Scorpius was as good as dead.

"Want to help the Death Eater, traitor?" James asked innocently as Albus growled at him.

"Don't call me a traitor," Albus said.

"I can call you something else," James suggested.

"_Rictumsempra!_"

"_Stupefy!" _

"_Petrificus totalus!_"

"_Redactum skullus!"_

"_Slugulus eructo!"_

"_Tentaclifors!"_

The attention had shifted from Derlwin and Scorpius on to James and Albus. The two brothers were fighting like lions, and neither one of them was backing down.

"I'll help you, Potter, Malfoy!" Oswald yelped. The thugs had apparently released him and he was running out to join Albus and Scorpius.

"Get—out—of—the—way!" Albus panted, barely managing to dodge a Freezing Charm from James.

"I'll—um—just help Malfoy, then," Oswald mumbled as Albus sent a nonverbal curse at James.

To Albus' horror, Oswald jumped straight into the fist fight. Albus was too busy concentrating on James to worry about Scorpius, who had no doubt lost several teeth by now. With a roar, the other thugs joined in, wanting to help Derlwin if Oswald if was helping Scorpius. It still wasn't a fair fight, obviously.

Albus was ready to surrender if it would help Scorpius when he heard a gasp from behind him. Albus froze, not daring to turn around. James also stopped fighting and both boys' arms fell limply to their sides.

"JAMES! AL!" yelped a shocked Neville. "What in Merlin's _pants _are you doing?"

Albus and James could not answer.

"Were you two dueling? You're brothers!" Neville wailed. He looked both anguished and furious.

"Not anymore," both Albus and James muttered at the same time.

Neville did not seem to hear. "It's not only that, but the rest of you are _muggle _dueling! Detentions for all of you! And twenty points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin," he said angrily.

"That's not fair!" James snarled. "It was Snivelly's fault!"

"Oh, really?" Albus asked dangerously. "Wasn't it the _noble _Gryffindor who was attacking a defenseless first year, ten to one?"

Neville looked a bit shocked, and so did the people who were watching. They had arrived only after Albus and Scorpius had decided to duel with James and Derlwin.

"You'll pay for that one," James whispered through gritted teeth, clearly furious with Albus for ruining his good image.

"I don't think I will," Albus retorted.

"I don't care who started it!" Neville said once he had recovered himself. "Detentions for all of you. James, Al, come with me to the Headmaster's office. I'll be contacting your parents—expect them to send you both a Howler tomorrow. I'm absolutely appalled, boys."

"The Battle of Hogwarts," Neville said to a very ugly stone gargoyle. The words that he had uttered must have been some kind of password, because the gargoyle moved aside. Behind it was a spiral staircase. "Go up," Neville growled. "The Headmaster will meet with you in a few minutes. So will your parents, if I can get them in time."

Albus and James took the spiral staircase up to a large door, both very pale. Neither of them wanted to hear a lecture from their parents. They walked into a round room that was mostly empty. The most interesting thing about the room was the walls—they were covered with hundreds of portraits. Albus realized that they depicted the past headmasters of Hogwarts. With a jolt, he spotted Severus Snape next to a man with a long white beard.

_Is that Albus Dumbledore? _Albus wondered. He was a bit disappointed that all the portraits had their eyes closed and were snoring loudly—perhaps _too_ loudly to be genuine.

Once the two brothers were alone, James turned on Albus with an expression of loathing on his face. "You're such a loser, did you know that?" he snarled.

"You tell me that every day," Albus told him. "Have I informed you that you're a cowardly bully?"

"Take that back!" James said furiously.

"No!" Albus protested. "Why do you always have the desire to go torture any Slytherin that you see? What've we done to you?"

"You've existed," James answered, smirking. "The Slytherins have always been traitors, and you wonder what's wrong with them."

"They've changed!" Albus yelled at him.

"Yeah, they have," James chortled. "Now, they're all wimps and losers—just like you."

"Guess what, _Gittydor_,_"_ Albus snarled. "Gryffindor changed, too. Now, you all walk around with your heads inflated, thinking you can insult or hurt anyone you like!"

James' face turned purple with fury. "You'll regret this, Snivellus. I'll—"

"NO!" Albus yelled at the top of his voice. He had spoken so loudly that several portraits had jerked 'awake'—though they immediately closed their eyes again.

"I've had to deal with your unfair bullying all my life! Everyone always thought that you were perfect and a noble hero just like Dad! Everyone let you get away with hurting me, but_ I_ won't—not anymore! I'm not taking this any longer—and neither is Slytherin. You think you're the King of Hogwarts, James? Well,_ I'm _the King of _Slytherin, _and I declare war!" Albus shouted.

James smirked. "Bring it on, little brother. Gryffindors have _always _been the heroes, and Slytherins have _always _been the losers!"

"Not anymore! This is a new generation," Albus said hotly, "and Slytherin's turn has come!"

James let out a snort of laugher. "_You_ and the Slytherins, beat _me?_ Get real," James sneered.

Albus whipped out his wand angrily, having had enough. He pointed his blood-red wand at James' face. James grabbed his own and pointed it squarely at Albus' nose. Suddenly, the door banged open and their parents stormed in, along with what looked like the rest of the professors.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER, ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, YOU ARE BOTH IN BIG TROUBLE!" screamed Albus' mother.

Both Albus and James shoved their wands back into their pockets and backed up against the wall, shaking with fear. Ginny Potter's face was purple with anger, while their father simply looked disappointed and hurt. Albus couldn't stand to see that look on his father's face. If there was anyone Albus admired most, it was his father.

"Why did you duel?" Albus' father asked quietly, putting a calming hand on his wife's shoulder.

Albus and James did not answer, but merely looked at their shoes, both very ashamed. They feared the look of disappointment on their father's face more than they feared the look of fury on their mother's.

"I've given both of them detentions and taken points away from both their Houses," Neville informed Harry and Ginny.

"Good! But, I want you to give them detentions for a month straight!" Albus' mother snapped.

"MUM!" both Albus and James howled.

"DON'T WHINE!" she thundered. "You both deserve it! Now, do you know how serious your actions were? Aren't you supposed to be brothers? Answer me, young men!"

Albus and James were forced to endure their mother's lecture for the next hour. Most of the professors had cleared out of the office, and now only Headmaster Triton and Neville remained with the Potter family. Ginny was out of breath by the time she had finished. In fact, she wasn't properly done, but her husband had forced her to wrap up her lecture.

Both Albus and James had severe headaches by the end of her yelling.

As their mother turned to leave after giving them a particularly nasty look, Harry said, "Promise me you won't do this again."

They did not promise. Albus _couldn't_ promise that.

After glaring disapprovingly at his two sons in a manner similar to his wife's, Albus' father walked out of the circular office.

"All right, your detentions are next Saturday," Neville told them. "Don't worry. I won't make you have them for a whole month."

Both Albus and James sighed with relief. Apparently, their parent's words had simply gone in through one ear and out the other. Now, both brothers were already making battle plans.

And Albus was going to make sure that Slytherin was the victorious kingdom.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Oswald mumbled after Albus had returned to the Slytherin common room. Scorpius had returned from the Hospital Wing as well, his teeth regrown and his bruises healed.

"I hope that taught you something," Scorpius grumbled. "I'm still sore."

"It didn't," Oswald admitted. "I'm not going to change. I don't know what made me jump into that fight. I'm a Slytherin—I don't do that kind of stuff. I'm sorry, you two. I'll only do what it takes to survive."

Albus shook his head sadly. "Oswald, that's not what Slytherin does at all."

"Read a history book, why don't you?" Oswald suggested bitterly. "Slytherins are the losers. I wish I wasn't a part of this house. I wish I was a Gryffindor. Nothing good comes out of being a Slytherin... _now_ I finally understand why there are so few of us."

Albus was completely appalled. _How can Slytherins win if we don't believe in ourselves? _

Albus wasn't going to stand for this any longer. He stood up on a table and yelled to the whole common room, "EVERYONE, LISTEN TO ME!"

Everyone immediately turned their attention to him, a few people congratulating him on his duel with James.

Albus turned pink. Talking to them all was going to be more difficult than he had expected. "T-Today, I fought m-my brother to d-defend a fellow Slytherin. What I have to say is that we can't let the other houses w-walk over us anymore!" he stuttered.

There was silence.

"What's the point?" one person said. "We're always going to get beat up. Do you think we all haven't tried? You and Malfoy are the only ones who have managed to escape them—and even you two don't manage it all the time."

"If w-we can do it, everyone c-can," Albus mumbled, trying and failing to raise his voice. "We need to fight back! You said that I was your k-king—well, now's the time to obey m-my orders! I want everyone to use their wands! If we all stand up t-to the bullies, we can chase them away!" Albus finished, very red in the face and wishing he could sink into the ground. He was rubbish at speech-making.

There was quite a bit of snickering—it seemed that his words were being doubted. Albus was very annoyed.

"STOP LAUGHING!" Albus yelled, his stutter suddenly disappearing. "This _will_ work! Everything the other Houses do to us, we do it back! If we keep letting them to do what they want, they'll keep getting away with it and nothing will get better!"

"We'll get into loads of trouble, though," said a third-year boy.

"It doesn't matter," Albus said. "We'll still get the message across, even if we get detentions. I've gotten tons by now—and what about my brother? Well, he's barely gotten any. Who's the bully? Who's the git?"

There was more silence.

Albus took this as an answer. "Exactly. It shows how unfair things are here at Hogwarts. Are we going to let the rest of the wizarding world be so prejudiced? Won't we show the professors that we can be just as heroic as the Gryffindors? We are _Slytherins._ What would Salazar Slytherin say if he could see us now—the cunning serpents reduced to snakeskins?"

People started whispering in agreement.

"He's right!" Scorpius yelled in support of his best friend.

"We help each other. We stay loyal to each other. We fight for each other, and we will prevail! We'll become the powerful, feared House of Salazar Slytherin once more!" Albus said inspiringly. The stutter had mysteriously—or perhaps not so mysteriously—left his voice.

Every single person in the Slytherin common room cheered at the top of their voice.

"We start now," Albus said with an air of finality. "Start learning advanced hexes and jinxes. Use them on the Gryffindors. Prank them—this is _war!_ Sink to the enemy's level—do whatever it takes to _win_!_"_

* * *

The next morning, Albus unearthed a large, fake gold coin in his milk. It was the first sign that the prank war had begun. As expected, James and his stupid friends stalked toward the Slytherin table. James snickered and knocked a goblet of orange juice all over Albus' cereal.

It took only a second for all the Slytherins surrounding Albus to stand up and point their wands toward James and his gang. Albus smirked and stood up himself. A few professors looked alarmed, but they did not have to come to the table. James simply sneered and stormed away, leaving Albus to grin triumphantly at his brother's retreating figure.

"T-Thanks, b-but you don't need to d-defend m-me," Albus said quietly to the Slytherins, blushing. "D-Defend those that need it. I can deal with m-my own brother."

"What I don't understand is why everyone loves him—especially girls—" grumbled Jaques Ernez, a second year, "—when he's a jerk."

Albus did not understand, either. Elina and James were practically inseparable at the moment, and she was still somehow blind to his misdeeds. Albus was getting quite frustrated at her and James' relationship, and everyone at Hogwarts knew that it was only a matter of time until they were officially a pair. Albus, however, was determined not to let that happen.

* * *

After lessons that day, Albus held council in the Slytherin common room. Scorpius was sitting next to him and was scribbling down ideas.

"G-Gryffindor struck first," Albus announced once everyone was assembled, "and the question remains: What are we going to do to them?" He was getting better at talking to large groups of people, and his stutter was less obvious.

"I suggest we poison them," suggested a sixth year, an evil grin on his face.

Albus paled. He did not want Elina or Rose or any other innocent Gryffindor to be poisoned. "N-No," he mumbled. "The point of this is only to hurt those who have hurt us."

"How about we Charm water balloons to only explode in front of the bullies?" asked a fourth year girl.

"Good idea," Scorpius said, writing her words down on the parchment.

"I'd like to add to that," said Patty Parkinson, a fellow Chaser. "We can hide the water balloons all over the school, especially near the Gryffindor dormitories."

"That's not enough," whined Kyle Simmons, another Beater. "Make the water balloons explode—really loudly and painfully."

There was a great deal of cheering at this.

"All right," Albus agreed. "I think we should do much more—make sure they don't get a break. Remember to only attack the Gryffindors who deserve it."

The meeting continued, and the Slytherins were planning deviously for nearly the whole night. Albus was extremely pleased with the results of the meeting, and so were the rest of the Slytherins. He was their king, and he could not be more proud of his subjects. He did not, however, consider himself better than them. It was only at three o'clock in the morning that Albus realized how brilliant and cunning Slytherins were when they wanted to be. Perhaps Salazar Slytherin would be proud after all.

"I reckon this is going to be the greatest prank war that Hogwarts has ever known," Scorpius said happily as they finally retired to their dormitories.

"And Slytherin is going to win," Albus said firmly. "I won't settle for anything else."

"And Derlwin is going to get it," Scorpius hissed.

"And James is going to get it, too," Albus added.

Scorpius had finally realized that he might have feelings for Rose, because he became utterly murderous whenever she hung around Derlwin. Albus, on the other hand, had been infatuated with Elina from day one.

Unfortunately, Rose told them the next day that she was firmly on the Gryffindor's side.

"I have to support my own house—you've both apparently forgotten that I play pranks on the Slytherins every few days. I'm glad that you two are actually breaking rules for once, though," Rose said.

Scorpius had a very sour look on his face. "Well then,_ Weasley, _you're going to be in a spot of trouble. You're now on the list of people that are going to get pranked—"

"Don't reveal anything!" Albus snarled.

Rose rolled her eyes. "How immature, Scorpius."

"And pranking isn't immature at all," Albus commented sarcastically.

Rose glared at them and stalked out of the library, which had become their usual meeting place.

"I can't believe her," Scorpius grumbled. "We're her best mates!"

"She has other duties," Albus said solemnly, though it was difficult for him to keep a straight face. He knew that Rose would never seriously prank them—she cared for them too much.

Elina, however, wasn't taking any part in the prank war. "I don't understand what's going on, Al. Why are you and James fighting?" she asked during Potions.

Albus had several answers, but he eventually decided on one and said, "I'm fighting for Slytherin. That's it." He had noticed that he didn't stutter too much anymore, not even around Elina. Being Slytherin's king had given him a huge self-esteem boost.

"But all these pranks? I thought you didn't like to prank," Elina said.

"I don't like pranks, but I'll put up with it if it teaches Gryffindor a lesson," Albus said. Then he blushed and muttered, "Sorry. I know you're in Gryffindor—I meant James and—"

"Why do you two hate each other?" Elina asked, looking deeply curious. "I mean, you two are brothers. Were you always like this, or is it just because you were Sorted into Slytherin?"

Albus wasn't quite sure what to answer. James had always bullied him at home—that, at least, had never changed—but Albus hadn't stood up for himself until he had come to Hogwarts. All this put together had caused Albus' loathing for his brother, and Albus was sure that James felt the same way toward him. "It depends. Why do you hang out with him, anyways?" Albus finally said.

Elina turned slightly pink. "James always asks me the same question, Al. Why can't I be friends with both of you?"

_Because James and I are sworn enemies, _Albus thought grimly. "I suppose you can," he said aloud.

"Anyways, we're going to have to turn in our project in a few weeks. I think we're done—you pretty much did all of it," Elina commented. "I didn't understand much. You're too brilliant for the rest of us."

Albus went very red and mumbled a hurried thank you, looking down at his shoes. Elina was very close to him again, and the familiar dizzy feeling was taking over. His heart leaped in his chest when his eyes met hers, and he couldn't focus on anything but her scent of cinnamon and vanilla. _I'm hopeless, _Albus decided.

Albus imagined a scene in which Elina and James were together and realized that he wouldn't be able to take it. The girl of his dreams, dating the person at Hogwarts that Albus not only loathed the most, but was also the most jealous of? It was unthinkable.

* * *

"Stand over there, Scorpius," Albus ordered. He had taken about a dozen Slytherins with him to the Gryffindor tower the next night. Obviously, they were not granted entry, but Albus was fine with setting the trap outside the portrait of The Fat Lady while she was sleeping.

Their latest plan included making a giant, invisible hole nearby the exit of Gryffindor tower. Those who had not committed any crimes against the Slytherins would walk over the hole, unharmed, but the bullies would fall straight in and would be unable to get out for five hours. Albus thought that the plan was absolute genius—better than anything the Gryffindors could come up with.

The water balloons had worked perfectly a few days ago, and the prank war was going well for the Slytherins. However, the Gryffindors weren't too far behind. They had set several traps for the Slytherins as well—all of which mainly involved tripping jinxes, and they had also gotten help from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Slytherin, however, was alone, but more cunning than all of the other Houses combined—so Albus wasn't too worried.

"Make sure you don't fall in," Albus warned to a fourth year that was treading dangerously close to the hole. "Quick—cast the charm. A professor might come any moment, and we might be caught." The Slytherins risked much to participate in the pranks, but they were skilled and sneaky enough not to get into trouble. Albus did not take his Invisibility Cloak—it would be unfair to the people who didn't have one.

An hour later, all the spells had been casted perfectly and the Slytherins returned to the dungeons, cackling evilly. All of them were looking forward to the next morning, when the bullies would once again get a taste of their own medicine. Albus held a quick meeting in the common room again, giving assignments to various Slytherins and then going to bed.

Albus loved being King. It was only when he had been given power when he realized how much he wanted it. He wanted to be a _leader. _He wanted people to look up to him, and he wanted to be both feared and admired. Most of all, he wanted _respect, _which was something he hadn't gotten until he became the King of Slytherin. What was more, his stutter was quickly going away.

He pulled himself out of bed early the next morning, very excited. It was Saturday, and Albus was finally going see the results of his prank.

He made his way to the Gryffindor tower, halting near the entrance and watching the Fat Lady carefully. Finally, the earliest Gryffindors came out of the portrait and walked across the invisible hole, unharmed. Albus would have to wait a little longer for the bullies because they always slept in. He was still slightly disappointed, though.

"Who's there?" said the Fat Lady suddenly, her eyes scanning the hallway. Albus realized that he wasn't wearing his Invisibility Cloak and saw a tapestry off to his side. He pressed it and fell through.

"Hmm... I must be seeing things," the Fat Lady muttered.

Albus sighed with relief. Then, he looked at his surroundings. He was in what seemed like a broom closet between the tapestry and another wall. Then Albus heard distant voices coming from behind the wall. He froze and leaned closer to the wall, realizing that past it was another corridor.

He could barely make out the voices, and he didn't know who they belonged to. Additionally, the voices were also fading as the seconds passed. Albus strained his ears as hard as he could, struggling to make out a single word.

"The Orb is getting more dangerous..."

"We must figure...trials...Possess it...finally."

"We...act...bring...one...stop..."

Albus was getting very frustrated. He pressed his ear against the wall, wishing that the owners of the voices would move closer. He let out a small gasp when he heard the next line.

"Albus Potter...problem..._kill him_."

The voices faded away, and Albus could not hear anything anymore. Was someone just planning to kill him—had he heard right?

Then Albus heard the tell-tale screech of a Gryffindor. Apparently, the first bully had wandered into the Slytherins' trap.

Albus' thoughts returned to what he had overheard. The voices had been too far away for him to make out the owners, but Albus was quite sure who was talking. Irving was one of the men for certain, because he had already tried to kill Albus at the first Quidditch match.

Then Albus' heart turned cold. There had been _two _people discussing to kill him behind that wall. Did that mean that there were _two _people at Hogwarts who wanted Albus dead? If so, who was the other person?


	14. The Veiled Voice

**-Chapter Fourteen-**

**The Veiled Voice**

Albus did not have time to watch Irving or figure out who the second person who had wanted to kill him was, though. The exams were quickly approaching, and Albus could not find time to spy on Irving between doing his homework, inventing spells and potions, and leading the Slytherins in the prank war.

Rose was being forced into studying by her mother and started writing up study schedules and color-coding her notes. Albus and Scorpius, however, had found no need to study, much to Rose's dismay. Sometimes, she would swallow her pride and ask either Scorpius or Albus a question. Scorpius took full advantage of these situations and teased her for days whenever she asked him for help. Needless to say, Rose stopped asking for Scorpius' help and started asking Albus instead.

The teachers, however, did not care if Albus and Scorpius were geniuses and already at NEWT-level. They were now assigning so much homework that Albus and Scorpius had to stay up late at night to finish it. (This was probably because they procrastinated on every assignment, not because the work was difficult.) Rose, on the other hand, was always on top of her homework and took great pleasure in rubbing it in the two boys' faces.

The prank war continued as the weeks passed, and neither side was weakened. The professors knew something was going on between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, but they tried to ignore the signs of an internal battle inside Hogwarts and instead focused on giving their students more homework.

Irving, though, was very obviously supporting the Gryffindors. He assigned the Slytherins scrolls and scrolls of homework and gave the Gryffindors barely any. He also took points away from Slytherin whenever possible, though Albus and Scorpius always re-earned those points by showing their achievements in other classes.

Along with the exams, the final Quidditch match of the year was approaching. Hemley wasn't giving Albus any time to do his homework—Albus had to attend practice nearly every other day. The Slytherins were very confident in Albus ability—he had shown himself a stellar Quidditch player with many tricks up his sleeve several times before, and they only had to play Hufflepuff in their last match. They were tied with Gryffindor for the Quidditch Cup—if they won the last match, Slytherin would win the Quidditch Cup for the first time in more than nineteen years.

In Potions, their year-long project was drawing to a close. Albus was going to miss Elina very much, though she had promised him that she would remain his friend when the project was over. Finally, the last day of the Potions project arrived.

"All right," Hoffman said during the last day of their project, "I think nearly all the pairs should be done with their project today. I will be checking all the potions, and the best pair gets Honeyduke's chocolate.

"All that for a piece of chocolate," Scorpius grumbled.

"I-I don't think you've d-done it right, t-though," Albus said nervously. "D-Don't you have the Stinging Potion? If so, it's s-supposed to be a v-very bright red color. Yours is bright p-pink."

"How do you know it's supposed to be red?" Rose howled.

"Er—I think if y-you look at the p-properties of—"

"Shut up, Al," both Rose and Scorpius groaned.

Albus turned back to his own partner, embarrassed and wishing that he hadn't spoken.

"Do you think we'll win?" Elina said breathlessly.

Albus stared at her with a stupid grin on his face. "Guh—" he gurgled. He mentally slapped himself—it had been several months and he still was sometimes unable to form coherent sentences around her. "We m-might."

"That's great!" she said, beaming. "I mean, it's just some chocolate—but I think it's the satisfaction that you've won that's more important than the prize."

Albus nodded in agreement. He didn't care much about the chocolate—he didn't like sweets very much, anyways—but he cared very much about impressing Elina. She already knew that he was clever, and perhaps all it would take was a little reminder...

Thirty minutes later, the lesson was drawing to a close, and Hoffman was checking all the potions. "All right, it's been many months, but the project that you have been working on for the larger part of this year is finally done."

Hoffman paused at Derlwin and Oswald's table, looking disappointed. "Simply awful, Mr. Derlwin and Mr. Nesbitt—is this supposed to be the Tangy Potion? It's supposed to be orange, but you both somehow messed up enough to get blue."

Then he approached Rose and Scorpius. "A job well done to Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley. They came closest so far. It's supposed to be a blinding red, but a blinding pink will give them above-average marks, I suppose."

Hoffman, at last, reached Albus and Elina's potion, and his face broke out into a wide grin. "Perfect. The Hiccoughing Potion is done wonderfully! I see no mistake. I completely expected this from you, Mr. Potter, and you certainly did well, too, Miss Lyon. I think we've found our winning pair."

Both Elina and Albus stood up to loud applause. Albus supposed that the Gryffindors were only clapping out of their respect for Elina, because none of them would have cheered for him. Then he and Elina walked up to the front of the classroom and accepted the chocolate.

"I honestly expected you to do a bit _better_ than perfect, to be honest—but I'll let it slide this time. I think you were a bit _distracted _by your partner_, _if you know what I mean," Hoffman said quietly, winking as Albus walked back to his seat with Elina.

Albus turned pink.

The bell rang a moment later, and Albus hurried out of the classroom with Elina behind him. "Wait a moment, Al," she said, brushing a strand of her long, light brown hair behind her ear. Albus stopped, his face still very pink, and turned toward her. Then she did something that he could never have expected. She hugged him tightly.

Albus nearly fainted.

"Thanks for winning me the chocolate," she said, grinning.

"W-We won the chocolate together," Albus mumbled.

"Don't be silly. I think you should be in seventh year already—wait, I take that back. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I didn't see you as often," she said.

Albus turned even redder, if that was possible. They walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts together, exchanging smiles. They soon arrived at the DADA classroom, only a few minutes later than the other students. All the Gryffindors' mouths dropped open—evidently they were shocked to see the most popular girl in the year walking with the most hated boy in the school.

"What is _she _doing with a nerd like _him?" _one howled.

"What a _loser! _He can't surely think that _Elina _likes him!" another snarled.

"What will James say? I'll tell him—he's going to kill Snivellus!" Derlwin muttered.

Scorpius looked a bit surprised as well. Rose, on the other hand, was completely shocked. She looked almost angry, just like the rest of the Gryffindors.

Albus winced at the glares that the Gryffindors were giving him and sat in between Scorpius and Rose, keeping his head down. Elina simply shrugged and sat down with the Gryffindors, not paying attention to their words.

"Why were you walking with her?" Rose demanded.

"She's my friend," Albus muttered.

"How? I mean—sorry—_you_ and _her? _That makes no sense!" Rose said.

"It's not such a big deal," said Scorpius, looking amused.

"Yes, it is. Gryffindors and Slytherins aren't friends!" Rose snapped.

"You're friends with us," Scorpius pointed out.

"Oh, I know, but it's different with us three," Rose said. "You don't _fancy _her, do you, Al?"

Albus did not answer, but Scorpius snickered. "Rose, you must be blind not to notice. Al walks into walls and trips on the air whenever she's around."

"You do?" Rose spluttered. "B-But, James fancies her, too..."

"If you tell her, I'll—I'll—" Albus began hotly. At that very moment, Irving stalked into the room, interrupting Albus. His least favorite lesson began, and he and Rose were given little time to further discuss his relationship with Elina.

* * *

After the lesson was finished, Albus walked to the Great Hall. Unfortunately, he was cornered on all sides by James and his mindless thugs just before he got there.

"I heard from Eric that you and Elina were walking to class together. I also heard that she hugged you after you two won chocolate for making the best potion," James said dangerously.

_How does he know all these things? _Albus wondered, quite bemused. _Do his crowd of fans work part-time as spies?_ "What do you want, Gryffindork?" Albus snarled.

"Stay away from her!" James roared.

"I will not!" Albus yelled back, pulling out his wand. The two brothers pointed their wands at each other's faces for what felt like the thousandth time.

"It doesn't even matter. She'll never look at a loser like you," James growled.

Albus gritted his teeth and said, "She was the one that hugged me, you know."

"She's _mine!" _James protested furiously.

"You don't own her!" Albus snapped. "I can have her if I want, and you can't stop me!"

"Can't I? Well, I have a dare for you, little loser_._ Come with me into the Forbidden Forest. Whoever stays there for the whole night without chickening out gets Elina," James challenged. "We'll each put a spell on the other to make sure we keep our word."

"It's on," Albus said coldly, without thinking of the consequences. "We'll meet at midnight tonight."

"She _will_ choose me. Who would look at_ you_ over _me_?_"_ James taunted.

Albus felt a bit nauseous. James was right, of course, but Albus wasn't about to let him know that. "Could you get any more arrogant? Hopefully, tomorrow morning your head will be a bit deflated," he said.

After sharing a glare of pure loathing, the two brothers turned away from each other and stormed off in different directions. Albus went straight to Scorpius at the Slytherin table and told him what he and James had decided.

"That's stupid. What does staying alive in a forest have anything to do with getting Elina?" Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"I don't know—but this is my chance to show James that I'm better than him," Albus replied.

"Whatever," Scorpius said. "That's still a stupid reason. Anyways, how are you going to know that you both kept your word?"

"I'm putting a spell on James, and he's putting a spell on me. I'm using the Pimple Curse. If James goes out of the forest before morning, I'll know it," Albus said, without missing a beat. "We'll both make sure to not make any mistakes that way."

"You're an idiot," Scorpius said in disgust. "You're supposed to be the King of Slytherin, not some stupid first year who does his brother's mad dares! You have responsibilities! And you're going into the monster-infested _forest_ for a bloody _girl_?"

Albus gritted his teeth. "Look, I'll do what I want. I want to show James that I'm just as good as him—it doesn't necessarily have to do with Elina. This is between me and James only—"

"Fine," Scorpius said irritably. "Don't come crying to me in pieces when the Acromantulas get an early breakfast."

Albus gulped.

* * *

Albus made sure not to tell any other Slytherin except for Scorpius where he was going. It was a private battle between two brothers, after all, and there was no reason to drag the other Slytherins into the dangerous forest.

Deeply regretting his decision to go into the Forbidden Forest by eleven o'clock that night, Albus dragged himself through the castle with his Invisibility Cloak on. Fortunately, he managed to avoid Peeves, the ghost of Filch, and any wandering professors.

Albus wasn't comfortable at all. He could not explain why, but the castle was eerily quiet. It felt wrong to him. Where were all the ghosts? Where were all the prefects?

The Slytherin continued on. After what seemed like ages, he reached the entrance hall and walked out on to the Hogwarts grounds. Albus could see a figures waiting in the distance and realized that James had already arrived. Albus took off the Invisibility Cloak and put it under his robes before moving out into the open, not wanting to let James know that Albus had the cloak.

"I'm surprised to see that you'd didn't chicken out, slime-ball," James said, smirking annoyingly.

Albus gritted his teeth and gripped his wand. "Let me put that Curse on you. If you go out of the forest before six o'clock, I'll know."

James pointed his own wand at Albus. "Vice-versa, little brother," he said.

Two minutes later, they had performed their spells. They shared one last glare...

...and then they were off. They walked into the Forbidden Forest, taking different paths. Albus shook with fear, his legs barely able to support him.

The next hour went by without any serious problems. Albus jumped about a yard in the air every time he heard something, but it usually turned out to be a harmless squirrel or a not-so-harmless moving branch that seemed to be alive.

More than another hour later, Albus checked his watch. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning. Suddenly, Albus heard rustling off to his left. He gasped and pointed his lit wand at a couple of spiders. Relieved that it was not something more sinister, he put his wand back in his pocket.

He walked on for another hour. He had been carefully been keeping track of the directions he had taken and began walking to his left, wanting to take a roundabout route back to the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. He checked his watch again. Four o'clock.

The air around Albus began to shimmer. It felt as if he was staring through a transparent sheet, only detectable because it was moving. He stepped backwards, shivering.

"_Do not fear, little one..." _

Albus froze. Had someone just spoken to him?

"_All is not well. Danger, darkness, death, and destruction are rapidly approaching. You alone can save us all." _The voice was soothing and musical, kind and beautiful.

"W-Who is it?" Albus stammered, backing away from the sparkling air. "W-What do you m-mean?"

"_There is an object at the school, an object of immeasurable magical power. This object, if in the wrong hands, will speed up the inevitable destruction of the world."_

"The Phantasm Orb," Albus whispered, almost to himself. Then he shouted, "W-Who are you! T-Tell me!"

"_Who I am is no concern of yours, Albus Severus Potter. This object is capable of granting the wish of its Possessor. Though some wishes are harmless, many are not. One wish in particular will tip the world into irreversible darkness."_

"What wish?" Albus asked in a hushed voice.

"_Some people's dearest wish is to destroy the world and rebuild it from the ground up. This will require releasing the _embodiment of evil_, a part of whom is trapped in the depths of the Phantasm Orb. If these people are to succeed in releasing him, the old world will be destroyed, and the new world will rise from the ashes, one more terrible than anything you have seen before. The embodiment of evil will be the ruler, and he will rule with fear and force."_

"N-No!" Albus choked out. "No! T-That can't h-happen!" He felt sick. That was why everyone so worried about the Orb getting stolen; world destruction could be the result. And what did the voice mean by the 'embodiment of evil'?

"_Someone will attempt to steal the Orb and release the embodiment of evil, and you must stop them—no matter what the cost. You are a boy of many talents—a boy with a great destiny. What it is, I do not yet know."_

"A great destiny...?" Albus echoed. He suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. "Stop them? Who are 'them'? What can I do?—I'm just a kid! I'm the biggest loser of Hogwarts and the disgrace of my family!"

"_You are capable of many things that have been deemed impossible, Albus Severus Potter. This, I can sense easily. Unimaginable power oozes from your very spirit."_

Albus gaped at her, not quite sure what the beautiful voice meant.

"_Accept this mission. Stop the Phantasm Orb from falling into the wrong hands, and stop the embodiment of evil from wrapping the world in darkness once more..."_

Albus did not answer. His head was still spinning, and he was still trying to figure out the source of the voice. Who claimed to know so much about him and the fate of the world? Who did this voice belong to? He had to find out.

"_Good luck, Albus Severus Potter. You will need it. And remember one more thing: To win the greatest war of the ages, you must fight darkness with darkness..."_

The air in front of Albus stopped shimmering, and everything returned to normal. He knew the voice wouldn't speak to him anymore.

Someone was trying to steal the Phantasm Orb, and this person—(but hadn't the voice mentioned 'people,' in plural?)—wanted the world to be destroyed so it could rise again, more terrible than the last. The voice had said something about releasing the 'embodiment of evil'—who would rule the new world. Did that mean the embodiment of evil was trapped_ inside_ the Orb?

Albus tried to concentrate on what was certain as he slowly walked back to the entrance of the Forbidden Forest: The Phantasm Orb was at Hogwarts, and someone wanted to steal it? Who? The answer was simple. It was Luke Irving—it had to be. Hoffman had seen Irving poking around the forbidden third-floor corridor, and Irving had been nothing but suspicious from day one.

The voice had given Albus his mission, and he had to see it through. But what the voice had said about him being the '_only one who could save them all_' and his power '_oozing from his very spirit_' troubled him.

He slowly walked out of the forest. He glanced at his watch again and saw that it was precisely six o'clock. He broke out into a run, breathing heavily. He was so tired that he just wanted to sleep before facing his new problems.

Albus finally exited the heavy canopy of trees, realizing that his Invisibility Cloak was still lodged firmly beneath his robes. He saw the sky was tinged purple, and he could see the morning sun rising over the Black Lake. To his horror, there was more than one person standing by Hagrid's hut. He froze and suddenly wished that he had put the Invisibility Cloak back on.

James was there, but he wasn't alone.

The last person that Albus wanted to see was there, too.

Professor Irving.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes, well, the main plot of the entire series is foreshadowed in this chapter. Before you criticize me, I promise that the 'embodiment of evil' is not a lame copy of Voldemort...**

**And I'll leave it at that.**


	15. Revelations

**-Chapter Fifteen-**

**Revelations**

"Well, well, look who decided to come out," sneered Irving, grabbing Albus by the collar.

"Hey, believe me." James smirked. "I didn't know he'd be here. He just strolled out of nowhere and wondered why I was outside. I told him I was waiting for you."

Albus felt murderous.

"A hundred and fifty points from Slytherin," Irving said, looking as if his birthday had come early.

Albus' mouth dropped open in horror, and he felt close to fainting.

A hundred and fifty points had been taken from Slytherin, which meant that whatever chance that Slytherin had of winning House Cup was gone!

_I'm the biggest idiot in the history of the world, _thought Albus, knowing that the phrase was an understatement. _Why? _Why_ did I listen to James? _

Things couldn't have been worse as Irving led the two brothers back to the castle. So what if Albus had stayed in the Forbidden Forest for a whole night? He had proved nothing except for the fact that he wasn't fit to be the King of Slytherin.

Albus was at least glad that it was so early in the morning and no one was awake yet. The Slytherins had not yet seen the hourglass that recorded the house points. Albus stayed quiet the whole time that Irving assigned them their detentions, not wanting to burst out into tears in front of his friends.

_How could I have let this happen? _Albus thought sadly as he walked back to the dungeons. _Nothing I do will ever be able to fix this..._

At first, the whole of Slytherin thought that there had been some magical glitch with the Slytherin hourglass. How could they have lost so many points in only one night? Then the story quickly spread: Albus Severus Potter, their king, had lost them all of those points. The one who had inspired them in the first place had been the one to crush their dreams.

Albus was now officially the most hated person in all of Hogwarts. He could not walk without everyone jeering and hissing at him. The Slytherins now joined in all the bullying, and Albus did not blame them. The Gryffindors, however, often said, "Thanks, Snivelly, we owe you one!" or "Thanks for making Slytherin lose all those points—you're our _hero_!" Albus kept his head down and completely stopped speaking to anyone besides Rose and Scorpius. He couldn't even look at Elina, though he knew that she only felt sorry for him.

Rose and Scorpius were the only ones who stayed by his side. Rose insisted that it would blow over eventually, but Scorpius took a more realistic view of things.

"You're an idiot," Scorpius said unhelpfully when Albus told him about the hundred and fifty points. "Idiot. Idiot. _Idiot._ I told you. I knew that you'd either get eaten by the Acromantulas or eaten by Irving."

Albus simply sighed, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Slytherin had gotten their one chance to beat the Gryffindors, and he had destroyed it. It was the worst Albus had ever felt in his life.

He did, however, tell Rose and Scorpius what the voice had told him in the Forbidden Forest.

"So, let me get this straight," drawled Scorpius. "You heard a bodiless voice from behind a shimmering screen, and it told you that someone's trying to steal the Orb in order to use it to release the embodiment of evil, who in turn, will destroy the world?"

"Yes, I did," Albus snapped. "And I'm not lying or deluded!"

"We never said you were," Rose insisted, kicking Scorpius.

"Look," Albus said irritably, "I thought we already established that Irving wanted to steal the Orb, right? That's what Hoffman thinks, anyways. Now, I bet we all thought Irving just wanted it to grant his stupid little wishes. But that's not what it is! He wants it to release the embodiment of evil—and that doesn't sound good!"

"So, you're going to believe the word of a disembodied voice?" asked Scorpius.

"Why would it lie?" Albus said through gritted teeth. "Don't you understand? The voice was telling the truth! Everything makes sense. All you have to do is put it together. Nobody wants to Orb to be stolen because it could really destroy the world if it's in the wrong hands!"

"Al, look," Rose said, trying to be consoling. "We'll figure something out. There's no need to get worked up—"

"Look, the voice was real!" Albus spat. "And if it wasn't, so what? Can we risk ignoring it? Can we, Rose, Scorpius?"

Scorpius sighed. "Al, calm down! All right I believe you. Irving might be trying to steal the Orb to release the embodiment of evil—(What is that, anyways?)—but there's no proof that Irving managed to get through the trials of the Orb. I actually doubt that anyone knows what they are! Stop worrying."

"Yeah," Rose said, agreeing with Scorpius for what seemed like the first time ever. "The Orb will be safe. It's Hogwarts, after all."

Albus took a deep breath. What his friends were telling him did make sense, and he didn't exactly want to go rushing into trouble with no idea what he was doing. Perhaps he was overreacting.

"B-But—the voice...," Albus protested weakly, trying to find something to aid his argument.

Rose groaned. "Do you know that Uncle Harry and Dad are coming from the Auror Office in a week, after the exams? They always come at the end of the year to lecture us on the Second Wizarding War and Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you're so worried, you can tell them and let them deal with it."

"Dad's coming?" Albus said, surprised. "Oh... that's—that's good, then. I can tell him. He'll take care of everything..."

* * *

Albus would never know how he managed to complete his exams when he expected the world to be consumed in chaos any moment, but he somehow did it. As the days crawled by, there was no doubt that the Orb was still safe.

Albus was up to his neck in memorizing theories and facts. He had procrastinated in studying, and now he found a way to take their focus off how much the whole school hated him.

It was swelteringly hot, and everyone found it difficult to concentrate on studies when they could be in the sun. The heat was especially unbearable in the large classroom where they took their written exams. The students had been given special quills that were bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell, and Albus sincerely hoped that Derlwin would not pass.

They also had practical exams, which Albus and Scorpius thought were almost tiringly easy. Professor Moore called them one by one into his office to see if they could make an orange waltz across his desk. Additionally, he also made them levitate a stack of dishes. Poor Oswald had lost his concentration at this part and dropped all the plates, causing them to shatter. Professor Patil told them to transfigure a brick into a block of ice—points were given on how cold the ice was, but taken away if it did not melt. Potions was extremely simple, and Albus had gone above and beyond simply creating a Forgetfulness Potion and added several extra ingredients which would probably cause the drinker to forget every moment in their waking life. Irving ordered them to practice defensive spells in front of him. Albus had done everything perfectly, but Irving still yelled at him for purposely blasting Derlwin into the wall with a nonverbal Impediment Jinx.

Albus probably wouldn't have lost control of his temper if he had actually been getting some sleep. For some reason, he would feel excruciating pains in his head and the rest of his body randomly through the night. Every morning, he would wake up glowing bright green, terrified of some nightmare that he had already forgotten.

Maybe it was because they did not hear the voice in the forest, or because they did not have gory nightmares, but Rose and Scorpius did not seem as worried about the Orb as Albus was. The idea of world destruction and the releasing of the embodiment of evil certainly scared them, but they were far too occupied with studying to believe the words of a strange voice or worry about what Irving was up to.

Their last exam was History of Magic, and Albus fell asleep near the end of it. He was sick of thinking about Elfric the Eager and the Salem Witch Trials. Even so, he thought he had done rather well. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Albus felt like fainting with relief.

"That was awful!" Rose wailed once they had left the classroom. "I couldn't remember anything about the Salem Witch Trials! They took place in North America—why do we need to learn about it, anyways?"

"It was boring and simple, in my opinion," Scorpius said blandly.

Rose wanted to go over the exam papers, but Scorpius and Albus shouted her down and ran outside into the fresh air and sunlight. They meandered by the lake for a few moments, but finally stopped to rest in the shade under a large tree. Several people hissed at the two Slytherin boys and waved at Rose on the way there. Albus saw Derlwin and James, along with a few other popular boys, torturing the Giant Squid, which was basking in the shallows.

Albus felt rather sorry for it.

"Why do you look so glum?" Rose asked curiously, noticing Albus' pained expression as he rubbed his eyes.

"Nightmares," he told Rose lamely.

"Maybe it's exam nerves?" Rose suggested. "Nightmares about you failing your exams, perhaps."

"No. It's definitely not that," Albus said firmly. "They don't have anything to do with exams. I think the nightmares are warning me of something. Something bad that's going to happen..."

Neither Rose nor Scorpius could get too worried in the heat.

"Nothing's going to happen—you're just having a bad day," Scorpius said. "Anyways, your father's coming next week, and you can tell him everything then."

Albus suddenly felt a little uneasy. What would his father say to him? After all, Albus had only sent one letter that year. He had a feeling that his parents and Lily would be a bit hurt that he hadn't contacted them at all.

"But—" Albus protested.

"Look," Rose began, sounding irritated, "We don't even know whether Irving managed to figure out what these 'trials' are. The Orb is perfectly safe, so I don't know what you're so nervous about. Relax for now—we have a whole week to find out how terribly we did on our exams."

"I've forgotten something," Albus insisted. "Something important... something's not right."

"Nothing's ever right with you," Scorpius exclaimed, flopping down in the grass and rolling his eyes.

Albus glared at him. "It's too hot to stay outside. I want to go visit Hagrid—he'll think I've forgotten him. You know I haven't seen him properly ever since the beginning of the year!"

"Hagrid? The Gamekeeper?" Scorpius sneered. "Father's said a lot of unflattering things about him."

Both Rose and Albus shot him disgusted looks.

"I agree," Rose said in response to Albus' earlier statement, as if Scorpius hadn't spoken. "We should see Hagrid."

"I don't want to!" Scorpius whined. Rose and Albus would hear none of his complaining and dragged him to his feet. They quickly made their way to the hut near the Forbidden Forest.

"Who's there?" Hagrid grunted as he opened his door. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius stood expectantly outside, the latter looking disdainfully at Hagrid's hut.

"Call this a house? Well, Father did mention that the Gamekeeper was an oaf," Scorpius whispered, loud enough for Hagrid to hear.

Albus kicked the other boy. "Be nice, Scorpius."

Hagrid looked at Scorpius with obvious dislike and muttered, "Yeh look like yer dad. Thas' not a compliment, mind. He looked like a dyin' vampire."

Scorpius glared at the half-giant. Rose kicked Scorpius this time, and the pale-faced boy just looked down out the ground and did not reply.

"Al, Rosie. Yeh came! 'Bout time," Hagrid said, his mood changing for the better as he spoke to Albus and Rose.

For the next few minutes, the four of them discussed what had happened that year so far. (Albus left out the voice he had overheard in the Forbidden Forest, however.) They did, however, mention that Irving might be up to something.

"Irving? Nah... he's a good fellah." Hagrid said, waving a giant paw in the air.

"Hagrid," Rose insisted, "we know what we saw that day at the Quidditch match. According to Al, who's under the impression that he heard an all-knowing voice in the forest, thinks that Irving wants to steal the Phantasm Orb in order to destr—"

Scorpius stomped on Rose's foot angrily and gave her a look as if to say, '_Stop revealing stuff, you idiot!'_

Hagrid dropped his teacup. Rose, Scorpius, and Albus winced and ducked as the shards of glass flew past them. "HOW DO YEH KNOW 'BOUT THE ORB?" he yelled at the top of his voice.

"Um," Rose began meekly. "W-We accidentally, um, found out about it."

"Tell him," Scorpius said harshly. Albus explained the vague details of what he had overheard Hoffman and Irving discussing around Christmastime.

Then Hagrid let out a bellow of laughter. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius stepped back in alarm. "Are you okay?" Scorpius asked, looking a bit fearful.

"Jus' like yer parents," Hagrid chuckled. Then he gave Scorpius a nasty look. "Not yer dad, though."

Scorpius hung his head angrily. Hagrid had made sideways insults about Draco Malfoy all through tea, and Scorpius' opinion about his own father had completely changed.

"Say sorry!" Albus prompted, nudging Scorpius.

Scorpius seemed to realize what Albus was telling him to do. "Hagrid, I need to say something," Scorpius sighed, as if saying the words were causing him physical pain.

"Wha' do yeh want, Malfoy?" Hagrid demanded coldly.

"I want to apologize for what my father did," Scorpius continued. "He was a real—I'll say it—pain in the arse. I know he'll never say it to you himself, so I'll say sorry for him."

Hagrid was quiet for a moment. "Yer not as bad as yer dad, I suppose," he admitted. "I accept yer apology."

"Hagrid, do you know anything about the Phantasm Orb?" Albus asked nervously, twiddling his fingers.

"Well, I ain't allowed ter tell," Hagrid said gruffly. "Yer dad did give me a whole set o' notes on it, though. Said everythin' 'bout the trials an' all tha'."

"What notes?" Albus asked eagerly, the questions spilling out of him. "Dad gave them to you? Why?

"The folks at the Ministry o' Magic did some experimentin' on the Orb and took notes on it. Yer dad gave 'em to me ter keep safe," Hagrid shrugged. "Shared those notes with the staff jus' earlier today. They wanted to see it, an' all."

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius shared horrified looks.

"Today? You told them about the trials?" Albus spluttered.

"Eh—why am I tellin' all this ter yeh?" Hagrid snapped. "But, yeah, I did. Why so worried, Al?"

"Don't you understand?" Albus spluttered. "Someone—Irving—wants to steal it to destroy to the world, and you've gone and told him exactly how to do it!"

"What are yeh goin' on 'bout?" Hagrid asked, scratching his beard in confusion. "No one's tryin' ter destroy the worl', an' no one's tryin' ter steal the Orb!"

"I need to tell Dad!" Albus said frantically. "Quick, Rose, Scorpius, come with me! Sorry, Hagrid—I have to go!" With that, the three first years took off running at fast as they could, leaving a puzzled Hagrid behind.

"I don't know what just happened!" Rose panted as she struggled to keep up with Albus as he dashed into the castle.

"Hagrid told the professors today—that means Irving knows about the trials! Now, it's easy for him to get past whatever defenses the Orb has! If he gets it—then, that's—that's the end!" Albus yelled at her, sprinting up to the fifth floor, his destination the owlery.

"Are you going to send a letter to your father?" Scorpius demanded, stumbling on the flight of stairs.

"Yes! I have to tell him that Irving's going to steal the Orb—he can stop him before it's too late," Albus answered hurriedly, finally skidding to a halt outside the owlery. He quickly called Herwina to him and scribbled out a letter with a makeshift piece of parchment.

_Dad,_

_Professor Irving is trying to steal the Phantasm Orb! Hagrid accidentally told him and the rest of the staff about the trials, and now Irving is going to be able to get it! You need to come and stop him, Dad. Sorry I can't write more—I need to tell Headmaster Triton. _

—_Albus_

He, Rose, and Scorpius watched the snowy owl as she flew out into the sunny sky, their hearts beating exceptionally fast. It was astounding how quickly and easily their peace and relief could be shattered.

"We need to tell the headmaster!" Albus said, jerking out of his thoughts. "I know where his office is—Neville took James and me there after we dueled."

They ran all the way back down to the second floor, trying to catch their breath. Albus halted near the very ugly gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's Office and gasped, "The Battle of Hogwarts!" It sprung aside without question. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius barged their way in without caring about being rude.

It was only then that Albus realized that the portraits had been conversing among themselves and that they had been taken by surprise by the entry of the three first years. For a second, Albus stared at the portraits of Dumbledore and Snape, whose mouths seemed to be paused in speech. Dumbledore regained himself and gave Albus a little smile, though Snape only scowled.

Then Albus saw Headmaster Triton, who looked absolutely shocked. "Sorry, sir," Rose said hurriedly, "but we have something important to say_—_"

"The Phantasm Orb is going to be stolen! He knows how to get it—he knows what the trials are. Hagrid told him," Albus said very quickly, silently begging Triton to believe him.

"Calm down—how do you know about the Orb?" Triton demanded.

"We found out about it," Scorpius explained, rather unhelpfully.

Triton looked completely flabbergasted. "I assure you, no one will be able to steal the Orb. The Guardian Spirits wouldn't let him or her_—"_

"But—but—" Albus protested.

"You can't seriously think that it's safe!" Scorpius snapped.

Triton stood up, and he struck an impressive figure above the three first years. "Don't worry. I shall check on the Orb with your father next week. Until then, relax and focus on the sunshine," he said.

"'Focus on the sunshine'?" Albus sneered, his lip curling. "Do you think I care about the _sunshine_ when the world could be destroyed and the embodiment of evil—whatever that is—could be released?"

"What are you talking about, Mr. Potter? Please, rest for a while. You three are all possibly a bit troubled. It is perfectly acceptable, of course. You've just finished your exams—"

"It's going to be stolen!" Rose protested furiously, her face quickly turning purple.

"Forget it," Albus said, his voice icy. "Sorry for bothering you, Headmaster. We'll be going now."

"_What?"_ Scorpius and Rose gasped at the same time, staring at Albus in shock.

He stalked out of the office, seething and gritting his teeth. How could everyone be so stupid and ignorant? Why would no one believe him? Did they all think he was insane and deluded, just like Triton had? What did he have to do to earn some respect?

"I need to talk to Professor Hoffman!" Albus said suddenly, once the moving spiral staircase had taken them back to the second floor. He dashed down to the dungeons, a confused Rose and Scorpius panting to keep up with him.

"Professor!" Albus called, poking his head into Hoffman's office once he got there.

Hoffman was feverishly glancing through books, and his hair was tousled. "Oh—who is it? Al? Oh dear, is this really the time?" Hoffman asked, looking a bit irritated as he pushed his papers off to the side of his desk.

Albus took a deep breath and said, "Irving knows about the trials! Hagrid told him, and he's going to steal the Orb soon! The headmaster won't listen to us, and I just sent a letter to my dad—"

"Wait a moment! Are you telling me that Irving knows how to get past the trials?" Hoffman spluttered, all the color leaving his face. "Oh dear, this is not good. Not good at all."

"You've got to stop him, Professor!" Albus wailed, hoping against hope that Hoffman would believe him.

"All right. I'll go confront Irving right now," Hoffman assured him. "I won't let him get it, I promise. You've told your father, correct? He will be able to deal with it once he gets here—all I need to do is make sure that Irving doesn't try anything yet."

Albus nodded, relieved that Hoffman wasn't going to sit around stupidly, unlike Headmaster Triton. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius watched Hoffman as he hurried out of the room after hastily dumping all his papers in the nearest rubbish bin.

"Why did he get rid of his work?" Scorpius wondered, glancing at the scrolls that were now strewn across the ground or in the rubbish bin.

"I don't know—maybe he was done with it," Albus suggested, walking out of the Potions classroom, feeling much more relieved now that everything would be taken care of.

They trekked back out of the dungeons to get to back outside to the grounds, their hearts much lighter. To Albus' horror, Irving came stalking down the stairs, looking very irritable. The three first years froze and watched him approach.

"Ah, what are you three doing inside on a day as fine on this one?" Irving said, his eyes shining sinisterly. "It looks rather suspicious..."

Albus gritted his teeth, trying to resist the urge to strangle his least favorite professor. _Suspicious? What about you? _he thought bitterly.

Out loud, he said, "Sorry, sir. We'll be going." Albus could feel Irving's unsettling, ice-blue gaze on his back as he left the castle with Rose and Scorpius. He tried to ignore it, convincing himself that Irving would be safely locked up in Azkaban the next day.

Once Irving was gone, Albus said, "So, you two believe me and that voice, then?"

Rose and Scorpius sighed.

"Like you said before, we can't exactly risk it," Rose said.

"Uh... I agree with what Rose said, I guess," Scorpius muttered. "But I don't completely believe you... It's just so... unlikely."

"I know," Albus admitted. "It is. But even if there's the slightest chance that the world might be destroyed and we might be able to save it—then we've got to try, don't we?"

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, other than the usual jeering and insults aimed toward Albus and Scorpius. Albus found that he couldn't relax. Surely, Hoffman was confronting Irving at this very moment? Where were all the professors? Why was everyone so _happy? _

Hadn't the voice said that the world would be destroyed—what would Hogwarts look like, then? Albus imagined a crumbling castle and suddenly felt sick. Hogwarts was more of his home than his home itself. Albus felt like belonged in Slytherin more than he did with his family, and he still did—even though all his housemates hated him for losing them all those points.

And what had the voice meant by the 'embodiment of evil'? Was releasing the embodiment of evil necessary to destroy the world? Who—or _what_—was the embodiment of evil, anyways?

A few hours later, the sun began to set, and Albus, Rose, and Scorpius went back inside to eat dinner. Albus was too jittery to eat anything. He noticed that both Hoffman and Irving were not present at the staff table, though Triton was sitting there, quite calm. Albus felt a rush of anger toward the stupid headmaster. Had Triton really been an Auror?

Once they had finished their dinner, the three first years headed toward the library.

"So, what do you think's happening to Irving?" Scorpius asked as he sat down. Albus grimaced and did not answer right away.

"Do you think we would have known if something bad had happened?" Albus finally asked, ignoring Scorpius' question.

"I don't think so," Rose said. "They won't tell us."

The trio was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about everything that had happened that year so far. Their revelations were interrupted, however, when Scorpius asked, "Is that Herwina?"

Albus jerked out of his thoughts and looked toward where Scorpius was pointing. It was indeed Albus' snowy owl, but what was Herwina doing here with a letter clamped in her beak? Had Albus' father responded that quickly, and if he did, why hadn't Herwina waited until breakfast the next morning?

Albus dashed to the window, threw it open, and coaxed Herwina into his arms. "Why are you here so early?" Albus asked her, taking her letter. He opened it feverishly and recognized his father's handwriting. "It's from Dad," Albus told Rose and Scorpius, who were curiously peering over his shoulder. Together, the three of them read the letter:

_Dear Al,_

_How do you know about the Phantasm Orb? Well, I'll keep the questions to a minimum. I've asked Herwina to take this letter back at top speed, which is probably why she'll get there early. You've told the headmaster, correct? If you said that the Orb is in danger, I believe you. I was about to come straight away to check it, but an urgent call from the Ministry has come up. I will try to come as soon as possible, though this may not be for a day or two. _Constant vigilance_, and tell me if anything comes up._

_Love,_

_ Dad_

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius stared at the letter blankly.

"No...," Rose groaned. "He's not coming! What's so urgent at the Ministry that he can't wait?"

"There's nothing!" Scorpius snarled. "It's a trick! Someone must have sent Harry Potter that call to stop him from checking on the Orb!"

Albus suddenly understood what Scorpius was saying. "That someone is Irving," Albus gasped. "He wants to keep Dad away from Hogwarts!"

"That means—that means he's going to try it tonight!" Scorpius finished.

The three first years were silent for a few seconds.

Finally, Albus spoke, "If Irving gets the Phantasm Orb, he'll release the embodiment of evil, and that—whatever it is—will destroy the world! Irving's definitely the one that the voice was talking about!"

"We have to stop him, then," Scorpius said loudly, earning a glare from Madam Pince.

"What?" Rose said, still confused.

"I'll get the Invisibility Cloak," Albus told his two friends. "We'll try to stop him. We'll go through those trials, whatever they are, and we won't let Irving get the Phantasm Orb."

Rose finally seemed to grasp the situation. "We can't just go now! Irving wouldn't, either—not in plain daylight."

Albus thought for a moment. He wanted to have a plan—he didn't want to rush into danger blindly like he had done with the Forbidden Forest dare. That wasn't what a Slytherin did. "All right, Rose, I want you to spy on Irving. You're a Gryffindor, so he won't really care. Come to the dungeons the moment you find something out—we'll be waiting near the Potions classroom."

Rose nodded without protesting and hurried out of the library, her bushy mane of orange hair flowing behind her. Albus and Scorpius descended to the dungeons to start their vigil. The sun quickly set, and darkness settled over Hogwarts. Albus briefly left to get the Invisibility Cloak and hurried back to where Scorpius was standing.

"Any sign of Rose?" Albus asked, throwing the cloak over him and Scorpius.

"No. No sign of Hoffman either—where is he? I wonder if Irving did something to him," Scorpius said dryly.

Albus shuddered. "He'd better be all right. He's our only hope right now."

The hours dragged by painfully. Albus and Scorpius couldn't help fidgeting and exchanging worried looks. Where was Rose? Had Irving caught her and hurt her? Finally, they heard footsteps approaching. The two boys froze, their breathing ragged. The familiar figure of Rose came into view, and they sighed with relief and took off the cloak.

But Rose did not look relieved at all. "Irving's just left his office. He didn't notice me. I think he's headed for the third-floor corridor."

"Did you see Hoffman?" Albus demanded.

"No! He's not here, is he?" Rose asked, her freckles standing out on her face, which was paler than usual.

"No...," Scorpius said, trailing off. Suddenly, another figure came into the dungeons. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius froze in surprise.

It was Oswald Nesbitt.

"Why are you three here?" Oswald asked, his big, dark eyes shifting from Rose to Scorpius to Albus.

"Why are _you_ here?" Scorpius retorted.

"I had another detention assigned during DADA," Oswald explained quietly. Then he changed the subject and said, "I know what you're trying to do. You're going out again, Potter. You lost Slytherin all those points, and now you're going to make us lose more."

"No!" Albus said angrily. "It's not like that. This is important—it's not a stupid dare like the Forbidden Forest was!"

"I can't let you go!" Oswald said, his eyes shining with tears. "I can't. You'll ruin everything again."

"Please, Oswald," Rose begged, "let us through!

"Get out of the way," Scorpius snarled.

"NO!" Oswald yelled, spreading his hands out beside him, as if he was guarding something. "You told me to stand up to people!"

"He didn't mean _us_!_" _Scorpius snapped.

"W-We're _really_ sorry about this," Albus said, interrupting Scorpius. "B-But we can't waste more time."

"_Stupefy,_" Scorpius said coldly. Oswald was out cold the moment that the spell hit him.

"S-Sorry," Albus repeated quickly, checking his watch. "It's just about midnight. We need to race Irving to the Orb." With those words, Albus threw the cloak over them. They shuffled out of the dungeons, apologizing once more to Oswald as they did so, knowing that he couldn't hear them.

"We don't know what those trials are, though," Scorpius commented once they had left Oswald and the dungeons behind.

Albus quickly shushed him and said, "It doesn't matter. It'll just be easier for Irving." Albus felt doubt overcome him. He pushed it from his mind, promising to make sure that Rose and Scorpius would be safe no matter what.

They continued in silence, stiffening whenever a ghost passed them. The school was oddly silent again, and they did not see much of anything.

"Only one more floor to go," Rose said bracingly once they had stepped up to the second floor.

After shuffling up another flight of stairs, they had finally reached the third floor. They continued along the floor, eventually arriving at the locked door that marked the entrance to the forbidden third-floor corridor.

Scorpius stuck his hand out of the cloak and hissed, "_Alohomora."_

"This is it," Albus whispered.


	16. Terrors of the Trials

**-Chapter Sixteen-**

**Terrors of the Trials**

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius watched the door as it swung open, their hearts beating frantically. It was silent. There was no sign of Irving or the spirits.

"Where are the Guardian Spirits?" Scorpius asked, sounding relieved and nervous at the same time.

"Do you think we're in the right place?" Rose wondered.

"We have to be," Albus said, not believing his own words. The corridor was utterly empty. Nothing, not even a small trapdoor, was nearby. Was it possible that the Orb was not hidden in the third-floor corridor?

Suddenly, all the torches went out. All of them let out shocked gasps and held each other tightly. Albus squinted through the darkness, fear surging through every vein in his body. Then he saw a blue sphere light materialize out of thin air. The whole area glowed blue, and Albus was nearly blinded as jets of blue light surrounded him, Rose, and Scorpius.

He opened his eyes again to see that they were surrounded by an army of spirits—both Phantasm and Guardian Spirits. One of the spirits, the one that looked much like a leader, stepped away from the crowd and looked straight at Albus. Albus wasn't sure whether it was a Guardian or Phantasm Spirit, because it looked like mix of both.

"_It is time for the trials to begin again. This time, we show them to the true Opponent...," _it whispered. Its voices sounded like it was made out of hundreds and hundreds of others, and it echoed around the corridor.

"Did it say something?" Scorpius asked. "I couldn't hear it!"

"I know... it opened its mouth, but it just sounded like the breeze," Rose said.

Albus was absolutely shocked. Why hadn't Rose and Scorpius heard what it had said? The lead spirit had mentioned the Opponent, hadn't it?

Where _was_ the Opponent? Both Hoffman and Irving had discussed it on Halloween, and the Opponent had been mentioned in the book, but what exactly was it—other than an immensely powerful wizard?

Albus was jerked out of his thoughts by Rose and Scorpius' yells. The very air around the three of them had started to distort and swirl visibly. Albus realized that this had happened the last time he had gone into the Phantasm Realm. All three of them were being sucked toward the army of spirits.

"What's happening?" Rose asked, her brown eyes widening with fear.

"They're pulling us toward them!" Scorpius gasped, attempting to run the other direction.

"Don't resist," Albus said calmly, closing his eyes. Once again, the familiar feeling of being inside a whirlpool overcame him as he and his friends were drawn right into the army of spirits.

There was silence for a few seconds. Albus could feel Rose and Scorpius stirring on either side of him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Albus wasn't too sure what he'd find—he did not remember a single thing from his past venture into the Phantasm Realm, besides how he had felt before and after. To Albus' relief, it wasn't anything terrifying. The only thing that surrounded him and his friends was a strangely beautiful, indigo light. It lay over them like an eternal blanket, somehow resembling the sky.

"Where are we?" Scorpius groaned, rubbing his arm where he had fallen on it.

"I think we're in the Phantasm Realm," Albus said.

"Isn't the Phantasm Realm supposed to be _inside_ the Orb? That's what the book said," Rose recalled, brushing a curly strand of her orange hair out of her eyes. "But that doesn't make sense! We didn't come here from the Orb!"

Albus stood up and looked around more closely. "The trials should start soon, whatever they are."

There was a _whooshing_ noise, and all three of them let out squeaks of fear. A single Phantasm Spirit appeared in front of them. It began to chant, and this time all three first years could hear what it was saying.

"_Choose the way forward, but choose carefully, for a wrong choice sends you to the end...," _it hissed. The spirit began to spread. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius watched in shock as it morphed into a hundred of identical spirits that circled around them. _"Go through the real one...,"_ they whispered.

"Go through the real one?" Rose spluttered. "How are we supposed to figure this out?"

"Check every one of them," Scorpius ordered, walking toward the nearest spirit.

"Scorpius is right," Albus said, "the Laws of Magic state that nothing can be a perfect copy of something else, not even using a charm that is supposed to double something. It can be very similar, but there has to be some difference, some glitch..."

The three of them began to examine every spirit, moving from one to the other. The spirits did not bother them, but Albus still found them very frightening. Perhaps it was the fact that their breath seemed to echo around, or that their eyes were hollow, yet showed great wisdom. Finally, after the three first years had searched every single spirit carefully, they had to conclude that they were all completely identical.

"This is impossible!" Rose wailed. "They're all the same!"

"No," Albus said firmly. "There's something we're missing... something outside the spirits, maybe..."

"I've got it!" Scorpius said suddenly. "Do you know whether spirits or ghosts or stuff like that have shadows?"

Albus punched his fist in the air in triumph. "That's right! That's what we're missing! Every single one of these spirits _has_ a shadow, which doesn't make sense. That means the real spirit should _not_ have a shadow. Quick—look again!" he yelled.

It was Rose who spotted the spirit first. "Here it is! This one close to the front!" she said. Albus and Scorpius ran over to where she was standing and saw that the spirit she was pointing at indeed did not have a shadow.

Albus stepped in front of the spirit and stared straight into its hollow eyes. "You're the real one," he said to it. "Show us the next trial."

The spirits around the real one were sucked into it, and it expanded in front of the three first years. They gave another yell as they were pulled toward it by an invisible force. This time, none of them resisted and simply let it draw them in. The world began to spin again, and Albus held on tightly to his friends.

Finally, everything stopped turning, and Albus was thrown out onto a hard surface. He opened his eyes again to see that their surroundings hadn't changed much—everything was still indigo, anyways.

And then he spotted a huge black wall to his right.

"What is _that_?" Rose spluttered, taking a step back. "Where are the instructions for this part?"

"Maybe we have to go around it?" Scorpius suggested. They seemed to think this was a good idea, so they walked toward it. To their shock, more black walls appeared around them, blocking their way forward.

"What's happening?" Albus growled. "They won't let us through!" Then he saw a sphere of bright blue light appear in the middle of the area that was enclosed by the black walls.

The light glowed and the sphere elongated to form a Phantasm Spirit. They stepped back, alarmed. The Phantasm Spirit, however, did not hurt them. Instead, it spoke, "_Dangers reside inside this Realm... and now you must face them and overcome them, Opponent..."_

"What does it mean? Did it just say, 'Opponent'?" Rose cried, frustrated. The spirit disappeared without answering her question.

"Dangers... it must mean that the walls are a danger," Scorpius realized.

"Obviously," Rose snapped back.

"How do we get out of here?" Albus said, pressing against the walls.

"Wait, I have an idea!" Rose squealed excitedly. To Albus' shock, she ran straight at the wall and collided with it.

"What are you doing?" Albus bellowed. "Do you want to kill yourself?"

Rose struggled back to her feet, clutching her elbow and wincing. "Sorry... it was worth a try. You know, I thought we might be able to go through it just like the barrier outside Platform 9 ¾," she sighed.

"There's a way past them," Albus whispered.

"I don't see one! Those are solid walls!" Rose said.

"This place isn't real, though," Albus reminded her. "I'm sure if we tried to change it..."

"Change it to make the walls go away!" Rose told him.

Albus stretched out his hands, closed his eyes, and imagined the walls disappearing into the indigo. The moment he reopened his eyes, the walls flickered and vanished.

"It worked!" Scorpius said. He looked at Albus in shock. "How did you do that?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the whole realm. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius let out yells of shock as they heard it, taken by surprise.

"_Opponent, you have discovered the secret of the Phantasm Realm. Find your way to the darkness to get to the next trial. Beware, because nothing is real..." _

"Why does it keep addressing us as 'Opponent'?' And what does it mean by 'nothing is real'?" Rose demanded once the voice had died away.

Albus ignored her first question, but figured out an answer for the second. "It means we can change anything. That's the secret of the Phantasm Realm. The spirit told us to find our way to the 'darkness.' I wonder what that is..." he muttered.

"There," Scorpius said quietly, pointing to a black area that looked miles and miles away. The dark section of the Phantasm Realm looked very sinister and dangerous, but Albus was sure that was what the spirit's voice had meant by 'darkness.'

"We have to go _there?"_ Rose asked, her voice trembling.

"What are we doing stand around, then?" Scorpius said. "Let's start walking there. It looks a long way away."

They began their trek across the indigo ground, keeping their eyes fixed firmly on the spot of darkness, not wanting to get sidetracked. Albus was expecting something to happen, but he was sorely disappointed.

He was almost hopeful as they approached the end. They were almost there when a blast of wind threw them off to the side. After flailing in the air, the three first years smashed into the ground. Albus stumbled to his feet and saw a flock of misty white Guardian Spirits swooping around them.

"Watch out!" Albus yelled, shielding Rose and Scorpius from the strange spirits. The flock shot straight for them, and Albus sprung into action.

"_Impedimenta!_" he shouted. To his horror, the spell had no effect.

"Hey!" Rose said suddenly. "Remember what we did on Halloween? We need to use light!"

"_Lumos solem!" _Scorpius gasped. A light as bright as the sun shone from his wand tip, making the spirits screech and flap away.

"They're not gone yet!" Albus yelled. "RUN!"

And they did. None of them looked back, and each had the common goal of getting to the darkness alive. It was no use—the flock of spirits would not be so cowardly. They chased the three first years relentlessly, and every time that the mist touched Albus, he felt ice-cold and ill.

Finally, they couldn't run any more. Albus gasped and collapsed on the ground, the mist of the spirits too much for him. Rose and Scorpius fell beside him, shuddering. _No, _he thought firmly. _There has to be a way out of this... the secret of the Phantasm Realm. We can change anything..._

Albus struggled to his feet and faced the spirits, hoping against hope that his attempt would work. He imagined the flock of spirits flickering and vanishing. They did.

"Are they gone?" Scorpius asked, dragging himself and Rose up. She looked very pale.

"This is too easy," Albus said, tired. "How can we just change anything? There has to be catch of some sort."

"Why are you complaining? It's amazing how you can change this place," Rose mumbled. "Let's finish this." Regaining their strength, they finally reached the darkness.

Everything began to spin again, and Albus felt even sicker than before. He wanted to rest... his energy was slowly draining. Then, he understood. _I can't change anything without getting tired, which means there's a limit to how much I can transform, _Albus realized. They were thrown back out onto the ground, but it was still very dark. He told Rose and Scorpius what he had just figured out.

"So... you can only change so much," Rose said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but quickly closed it when an echo sounded through the Phantasm Realm.

"_You have learned of the flaws... and now it shall become even greater a challenge. Only one of you can survive the Realm in the very end..."_

"That doesn't sound good," Scorpius said unhelpfully. Suddenly, the floor beneath them opened, revealing a gaping, yawning hole. The three first years dropped through it, screaming and flailing, not knowing what had just happened.

Everything was completely black, and Albus could not see his own hand in front of his face. "Scorpius, Rose? Where are you?" Albus whispered, reaching out.

"I can hear you! I can't find Scorpius, though!" Rose answered. Albus' heart turned cold—she sounded very far away.

"I'm here!" Scorpius shouted, sounding equally far away.

"Where are you?" Albus demanded. "We've all been separated!"

"Thank you for noticing," Scorpius snapped sarcastically. Albus would have glared at him, but he couldn't see where the pale-faced boy was.

"We have to keep talking and try to get to each other by using our voices—" Rose began. Then she let out a shriek of fear.

"ROSE!" yelled both Albus and Scorpius. Albus ran blindly forward, hoping that she was all right...

He saw a bright light appear in front of him, and a positively huge spirit formed out of it. Albus halted in his steps, all the color draining out of his face. Where was Rose? Where was Scorpius? He stumbled closer to the spirit, pointing his wand at it. There was another screech from Rose, and Albus full on attacked the spirit, sure that Rose was being held captive within it. He felt his heart turn ice cold as the mist drifted toward him. He was getting tired... it was drawing out his energy...

Suddenly, another spirit appeared beside him. Albus whirled toward it, his brain working sluggishly. "Rose?" he spluttered, feeling the cold take over him.

"I can't see anything, and my wand won't work in this dark part, for some reason!" Scorpius complained. "We have to get the light back!"

Albus struggled with himself. He knew that if he used some of his energy, he would have less to use for another emergency. But Rose was in trouble... Albus closed his eyes and imagined Phantasm Realm turning back to indigo.

"There she is!" Scorpius called just as Albus opened his eyes.

He saw a group of about a dozen spirits, and his mouth dropped open in fear. Rose was among the spirits, her face white and bloodless. The mist was drifting around her, sucking out her energy. "ROSE!" both boys yelled, running toward her.

"_Lumos solem!" _Scorpius shouted, pointing his wand at the group of Guardian Spirits. They shrunk away from the light, howling in pain. Rose stirred feebly, the color slowly returning to her face.

"Are you okay?" Albus gasped, kneeling above her as Scorpius kept casting light spells in order to keep the spirits away.

She opened her eyes and moaned, "I'm all right..." Albus smiled and hugged her, not being able to imagine losing her.

"We have to keep going," Scorpius said. "I can't keep them away forever!"

"How do we destroy them without using your energy to change the place?" Rose asked desperately. Then she hurried to her feet and looked at Albus. "You did it on Halloween using that bright green light. For some reason, _your_ inner magic, or whatever that was, worked better than any spell. I remember."

Albus felt ill. "I can't—I can't—" he stuttered. "I d-don't know what that was!"

"RUN!" Scorpius yelped, which was the cue the they needed to scramble away from the spirits, who had recovered from the light.

Albus suddenly stopped and turned to face the spirits. "STOP!" he yelled, holding out his wand to stop them. "GO AWAY! I _ORDER_ YOU TO!" The symbols on Albus' blood-red wand began to glow bright green. The moment he finished speaking, the spirits vanished, still howling.

"What—did—you—just—do?" Scorpius panted, staring at the place where the spirits had been a moment ago.

Albus did not answer. He sunk to the ground, clutching his head. Everything hurt... he felt so tired... he wanted to go to sleep...

"GET UP!" Rose screamed. "THERE ARE MORE OF THEM!" She and Scorpius took one of Albus' arms in theirs and dragged him to his feet. Albus stayed limp as puppet, all of his energy drained.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Scorpius scolded. "It took up the energy you had left!"

Albus finally took control of himself again, a little bit of his energy returning. The three first years ran as fast as they could, not looking back at the vast army of Guardian Spirits chasing them. Albus could feel the mist following him, freezing him. Suddenly, a black wall appeared in front of them, blocking their way forward.

"We're dead!" Rose wailed. "Al—try to change something—you're the only one that can!"

"Why?" Albus asked desperately, his voice hoarse. "Why can _I _change it? Why can _I _control the Guardian Spirits?" He sunk to the floor again, his head feeling as if it was splitting. _Why_ was everything hurting? Albus desperately wished that the pain would just go away...

"I can't do this," Scorpius said, his face completely colorless. "I'm not brave enough... I want to get out of here!" He made a mad dash toward the wall, but Rose grabbed the back of his robes and dragged him back.

"No, I'm not going to let you kill yourself," Rose told him firmly. "Albus, _please,_ get up, you're our only hope—" Before she could finish, the deformed hand of a huge spirit grabbed her around the waist.

It was Rose's scream that bought Albus back to reality. He couldn't abandon his friends when they needed him most.

"ROSE!" Scorpius gasped. "_No!_ Let her go!" The spirit did not listen to him like it had listened to Albus. Scorpius turned to the black-haired boy, his gray eyes wide with fear. "Please, help her—only you can!"

"L-Let h-her g-go...," Albus groaned at the spirits, unable to think straight. The pain was so unbearable... his whole body was freezing and burning at the same time... he felt as if he was being torn in two...

The spirit paused, confused.

"Say it again!" Scorpius urged.

Albus did not answer, but simply curled up into a ball, willing his energy to return. It did not.

Scorpius, clearly despairing, turned back to Rose. She was bloodless and shivering again, the mist sucking the warmth out of her.

Albus called out to his powers... he _had _them... he _had_ to use them...

Albus jerked open his eyes to see Scorpius dash toward the spirits and Rose, letting out a war cry. He lunged at them with his wand out. Instead of using it, Scorpius pushed Rose away from the mist. The Guardian Spirits left her and turned on him instead. The mist darted toward him, encasing the pale-faced boy in a foggy cocoon.

Albus yelled out in shock as Scorpius was sucked into the spirits. There was silence, and the spirits flickered and vanished. There was no sign of Scorpius at all. Albus, finally having gotten a hold on himself, jumped to his feet and ran around, wishing that Scorpius would appear, well and alive. Rose shuddered and coughed, her eyes opening.

"SCORPIUS IS GONE!" Albus roared. Rose dragged herself up, looking very dizzy. Even so, Albus could see the color and energy returning to her face.

"_The first victim has been sent to the end, now only two remain... only one will survive the next trial..."_

"No...," Rose moaned. "No. No! _No!_ Where did he go?"

"I failed," Albus whispered. "I could have changed the Realm... Scorpius didn't have to go... I could have stopped them!" Albus had the urge to yell in frustration. _Why am I so weak? Why is everything hurting so much?_

Rose was still muttering, clearly unable to believe that Scorpius was... gone. Albus couldn't believe it either. At that moment, Albus hated himself. _It's my fault. It's completely my fault..._

"It's my fault, not yours," Rose said quietly, taking Albus by surprise. "He sacrificed himself for me, and now he got taken to the 'end'—wherever that is."

Albus could not say anything.

"We have to keep going," she said bracingly. "I don't think Scorpius is—is—de—what I mean is, that he's okay."

"How could he be _okay?"_ Albus snarled, gripping his wand and glancing around for the spirits.

"I can feel it," Rose told him. "What's the next trial about?"

"One of is going to go to the 'end,'" Albus said. "The spirit says that there can be only one survivor. I don't want to lose you, Rose."

"What makes you think that it'll be you?" Rose asked, plastering a playful smile on her face that did not fool Albus. He knew that she was very nervous and worried about him.

Silently, the two remaining friends walked forward with no clear destination in mind. They were both in a sort of trance, still thinking that Scorpius was beside them. Albus' head was still hurting, and he kept wondering why it was always _him_ that managed to get into these situations. Albus wondered if he was in a bizarre dream. Perhaps he was. The Phantasm Realm wasn't real, after all.

Suddenly, a barrier of spirits materialized in front of them. Albus and Rose halted at once, their faces showing nothing but fear and desperation. Rose's brown eyes locked with Albus' green ones, and at that moment, each cousin knew what the other was thinking.

"You have to go on, Al," Rose said quietly. "Not me. Not Scorpius. It has to be _you._ You're special. You've always been so powerful and, well, _different._ And now you can control the Phantasm Realm and its spirits."

"Rose—_what_ are you going to do?" Albus asked, his voice shaking.

"You need to keep your energy for... for the last trial...," Rose said, not looking at him.

"ROSE!" Albus yelled. "TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO!"

"_Go to the light... go to the light...," _chanted a voice. It was the echo that had been instructing them so far.

Albus whirled around to see a large sphere of bright blue and white light appear behind him, looking somehow dangerous and inviting at the same time. At that very moment, the blockade of Guardian Spirits lunged forward. Albus pushed Rose aside, ready to take the full blow, but Rose wouldn't let him.

"Al—quick—run to the light!" she screeched. Then, she whipped out her wand. "_L-Lumos solem!"_ she stuttered, unable to form her words properly. A light flickered at the tip of her wand, but it was nowhere near powerful enough. Abandoning her wand, Rose stampeded forward, straight into the mist. It was suicide, but Albus knew that she did not want to escape. She wanted to distract the spirits... and would pay with her life.

"ROSE!" Albus shouted at the top of his voice, unable to move. He needed to help her... he needed to... he willed the scene to change. Then, pain exploded all over Albus' body. He was on _fire_—no, he was _freezing._

Rose paid him no attention. She had succeeded in grabbing the attention of the spirits and was luring them away from Albus. Roaring in fury, they followed her blindly, murder in their hollow eyes. Albus watched, with his mouth wide open and his head throbbing, as the mist darted toward. It encased Rose in the foggy cocoon, just like it done to Scorpius before.

The pain was stronger than ever before, but Albus fought it off. He pointed his wand at the Guardian Spirits and Rose. Her face was white, and she looked utterly lifeless. Albus couldn't stand to see it. He began to glow emerald green, shining brighter and brighter. "STOP! GO AWAY!" he bellowed, feeling the dark power flow through him once more.

But it was too late. The spirits flickered and dissolved, taking Rose with them. Albus fell to the ground, his legs unable to support him. The sphere of blue and white light drifted over him, and he saw everything twist and distort around him. He did not want it to. He yelled out—he wanted Rose, he wanted Scorpius. Albus was sucked, once more, into a whirlwind.

Then, quite suddenly, everything went still.

Albus stood up, not believing it. He had seen Rose go—she had been kept into a cocoon, just like Scorpius had. Perhaps they weren't gone yet, perhaps they were still alive and breathing, however slowly in the cold. Albus had to hope in that, or he would lose everything.

The Phantasm Realm went dark. Albus shook, feeling incredibly alone. This was the last trial. He wondered where Irving was. Perhaps he hadn't been able to survive and was now in the same state as Rose and Scorpius. Albus pushed his thoughts of Irving out of his mind, wanting to keep it clear.

A voice echoed through the dark Realm, and Albus found himself hating it. "_Only one survives... this last trial is the one that no one can truly pass..."_

"YOU!" Albus shouted at the voice. "I WANT THEM BACK!"

He was going to explode—he could feel the power threatening to burst forth. Albus tried to control it, but found that he could not. He felt too much emotion to stop himself from glowing. Albus had always felt that dark, evil power whenever he felt hatred or anger, but now he felt desperation and love, and those were much, _much_ stronger.

Then Albus was blasted to ground by a flash of bright green light. Momentarily confused, Albus blinked blearily, trying to figure out what had just happened. Above him stood a figure—a figure that was frighteningly familiar.

It was himself. Albus stared into the other Albus Severus Potter's equally emerald eyes, not fully comprehending the ridiculousness of his situation. The figure began to speak, and Albus could not believe what it had said.

"You're a _loser_," the other Albus told him, his green eyes shining with malice.

It took a few seconds for the words to sink into Albus' head. When he finally understood, Albus could not reply. He _was_ a loser.

"You're a _failure_."

Albus _was_ a failure.

"You're a _freak."_

Albus _was_ a freak.

"You're a _disgrace."_

Albus _was_ a disgrace.

"You're a _Slytherin," _the other Albus said with finality. Apparently, that was supposed to be the worst insult of them all.

Albus _was_ a Slytherin. He seemed to wake up. He felt energy flow through him, and he began to glow bright green again.

"I'm _not_ a loser, disappointment, freak, or disgrace. I _am_ a Slytherin, and a Slytherin is none of those things," Albus told his counterpart. "And I'm not afraid of you."

The other Albus paused, confused and shocked. It did not speak. Albus pointed his wand at the other himself and whispered, "And you're not me. Give me back my friends, or you'll _regret it."_

The real Albus' eyes shone with hatred and fury, and at that moment, he seemed deadly and dangerous. Any bully who would have seen him would have run the other direction as fast as they could. Albus was the most terrifying he had ever been. He felt that evil power thundering through him, and finally, with a flash of blinding green, he released it.

The whole Phantasm Realm turned emerald as the supposedly unremarkable, unthreatening boy glowed brightly. He was no longer the greasy little kid who had always been the oddity and the outcast of his family. In that moment, anyone who was watching him would have realized that he wasn't just a gifted wizard like Voldemort and Dumbledore. He was _far_ more powerful than them.

The bright green died away, and Albus fell to the ground, all of his energy gone. Everything began to swirl and spin around him. "_The _second_ Possessor has survived. The two survivors must battle for the Orb at last—the Opponent versus the _Pawn_...," _the voice chanted.

Albus opened his eyes and stood up, seeing a bright, silvery light ahead of him. He spotted the outline of a person next to the light. Albus narrowed his eyes—he couldn't see the figure properly, but he was sure it was Irving. It was all Irving's fault. Albus had come to battle his least favorite professor for the Orb, and he had lost his friends for it.

Albus felt the energy miraculously return to him as he walked forward, ready to take on anything.


	17. The Cunning of a Slytherin

**-Chapter Seventeen-**

**The Cunning of a Slytherin**

Albus received the shock of his life as he approached the figure standing near the silvery light. At first, Albus could not believe his eyes—he almost took his glasses off to check them. But there was no mistake in what he saw. It was not Irving who was standing by the light, but instead the last person anyone could have suspected.

It was Hoffman.

"You!" Albus shouted, his heart sinking. How could it be his favorite professor? It _had _to be trick, a joke of some sort.

Hoffman turned around, looking very tired and ill. Clearly, he had gone through just as much as Albus had in the Phantasm Realm, but Albus had the feeling that Hoffman hadn't been able to control the spirits like Albus had. Then Hoffman smiled maliciously, and whatever pity Albus felt disappeared.

"Yes, it is I, Caspar Hoffman," Hoffman said, mockingly dramatic. He pulled out his wand and hissed, "_Incarcerous!"_ Ropes sprung up out of nowhere and wrapped around Albus. He struggled, but gave up when he realized that the ropes would get tighter every time he resisted.

"You—you want to destroy the world and release the embodiment of evil. _You_, not Irving!" Albus said in horror.

"Irving? The noble Head of Gryffindor? Of course not," Hoffman said, the annoying smirk still on his face.

"B-but—but, Irving tried to kill me at that Quidditch match," Albus spluttered, still unbelieving.

"No, no, no. _I _tried to kill you," Hoffman said, irritated. "Irving tried to _save _you. (I'm still not sure why...) I managed to get you to fall off your broom, because your stupid Malfoy friend went after the wrong professor. But you managed to wriggle your way out of death. I also tried to kill you when I sent you to the Potions Master's Haven—I hoped that the Guardian Spirits would finish you off, but that attempt failed as well. I wanted you dead, see. You were getting to be a problem. You could destroy the spirits, and I knew that meant that you might be able to foil my plan."

Albus' mouth dropped open. Hoffman, his favorite professor, had tried to kill him, and Irving, Albus' least favorite professor, had tried to save him? It seemed that the facts in Albus' life had been twisted and flipped until they were completely unrecognizable.

"But—But you accused Irving of trying to steal the Orb!" Albus said, confused.

"Oh, you believed that little trick, didn't you? Well, I am rather good at lying and acting, like every Slytherin is... anyways, I find him rather irritating—it was quite fun to wind him up," Hoffman admitted.

Albus struggled with himself and finally managed to construct a question. "Why did you come to steal the Orb?" he demanded.

Hoffman smiled and once more began to circle the silvery light. "Ah, yes. _That_ question. You see, I need to release my master, the _Paradox_, the very embodiment of evil and the most powerful wizard—he's actually a _step above_ wizardkind, if you ask me—to ever exist. I need him to destroy and then control the world, for he is the only one with enough power to do so. You've been annoyingly meddlesome, and you actually came admirably close to stopping me," Hoffman said. "But... that is an issue that can be fixed easily. I will kill you tonight, and the Paradox's path to power will clear."

Albus' head was throbbing. _Paradox?_ Where had he heard the word 'Paradox' before? And this Paradox was the master that Hoffman wanted to release, the 'embodiment of evil' that the voice in the Forbidden Forest had mentioned. Hoffman had just said that the Paradox was a 'step above' wizardkind... What did that mean—that the Paradox wasn't _human_?

Despair threatening to overwhelm him, Albus said, "You want to release the Paradox, the embodiment of evil, who supposedly has enough power to destroy and then rule the world, isn't that what you said?"

"Yes," Hoffman said pleasantly. "And I want to destroy it. It's already ruined, so it's time to start it over again. Once there's chaos, I will be able to rebuild it in the way _I_ please."

Albus gulped and felt faint. How was he going to stop this madness? _How?_

"Now that you're done asking pointless questions, I need to figure out how to control the Phantasm Orb. Stay quiet, will you?" Hoffman said, circling the silvery light.

_I need to stop this, _thought Albus in desperation. But what could he do when he was bound by ropes and up against an adult and, possibly, the embodiment of evil?

He closed his eyes, trying to think of something. He let the determination fill him from top to bottom, and when he next opened his eyes, they were _glowing_.

Something snapped inside of him, and the powers were let loose. The familiar evil sensation came over him, giving him strength. He smiled sinisterly, and his eyes glinted darkly.

He knew what to do.

"Sir," he said in a smooth voice, the stutter completely gone. "I just have one last question..."

"WHAT?" Hoffman snarled, whirling around to glare at Albus.

"Why haven't you released the Paradox already?" Albus asked. "I mean, if you're the Possessor, then the Orb should obey your orders."

Hoffman looked stumped. "That's true. I passed its trials, after all..."

"Maybe it's because I'm the Possessor. I passed the trials, too," Albus suggested. "Should _I_ try to release the Paradox for you?"

Hoffman's mouth dropped open. He saw the evil smirk spreading across Albus' face. Finally, Hoffman spoke, "I-I don't understand. You came here to stop me from releasing the Paradox—didn't you?"

"That's what I said," Albus said, very seriously. "That's what I told everybody—the real reason is that I want it for _myself_. That's why I was meddling around so much—_I_ wanted to steal it and use it."

"I've always hated being the outcast of my family. They never appreciated me, and they always pranked and insulted me. I was the freak, loser, and the disappointment. Now, I want _revenge."_

Albus smirked wider. "I hated my father the most—I was always in his shadow. I'm always compared to him, when I'm not him at all. I won't have any trouble betraying him—I wanted to show him what I can do for years and years. Why do you think that I was Sorted into Slytherin?" Albus said, plastering a very well-done evil grin on his face.

It took a few moments for Albus' explanation to sink into Hoffman's head. When he finally understood, Hoffman widened his eyes in shock. "You're on my side? _You?" _

Albus nodded firmly, and his emerald green eyes locked with Hoffman's dark ones. Albus did not look away, wanting Hoffman to believe him and trust him.

"It makes sense," Hoffman said quietly. "You always kept walking in on us. You kept meddling. The only explanation—you wanted to steal the Phantasm Orb, too. _Genius."_

Albus' eyes shone. "It is, isn't it? Imagine the look on my foolish father's face when he finds out."

Hoffman cackled. Albus mimicked it perfectly.

"Well, you'll be useful for sure. You're a powerful young wizard, as I'm you've probably noticed. Your magic is not as great as it could be, but with proper training, you could become as powerful as Voldemort."

_That's all it is, _Albus thought, trying to convince himself. _Just strong magic. _It was similar to the magical strength that Voldemort and Dumbledore had.

Or was it something more?

"I would want you on my side. You're a clever little boy, and you've got an odd little knack for figuring things out. You might be a formidable ally if you managed to get through the trials," Hoffman continued. "Well, to prove yourself, release the Paradox, and I'm sure he'll reward you."

"Gladly," Albus said, smirking. "But I really can't get a good look if I'm tied up."

Hoffman smiled. "Ah, why don't you try to escape yourself? Your first step to becoming a brilliant Dark Wizard is to master wandless magic."

Albus was silent. How was he supposed to master wandless magic? He reached for his wand in his pocket, but the ropes bounded him too tightly.

"Concentrate, Potter. Imagine being one of the powerful people who rule the new world when it rises from the ashes of the old one," Hoffman said, chuckling. "Imagine it... you'll be one of them. You'll have everything you want if you succeed and join me."

The dark sensation was still active inside of him, and it seemed to make him stronger. "All right," he said quietly. "I'll try." He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, concentrating with all his might. "_Relashio!"_ he shouted.

The ropes wiggled and slowly began to unravel. Albus watched, shocked, as the ropes fell to the ground and lay there, limp.

"Brilliant. Wizards with a gift with magic are extremely hard to come by, but we're lucky enough to get one on our side. Eleven, and you're already able to perform wandless magic... even Voldemort couldn't have managed that..."

Albus smiled in a way that was reminiscent of a sneer. "It would be amazing if I could be as powerful as Voldemort. He was almost invincible—do you think I'll be as strong as that one day?"

"Better," Hoffman said. "The new world will need you to rule with an iron fist. You will use fear and force as your ultimate weapons, and you will stand beside the Paradox, the embodiment of evil, to rule with him after he is released."

Albus laughed. It was high and cold and sharp, the kind of laugh that belonged to the evilest of wizards. Albus was proud of himself for achieving it so well. "I _like_ that. Fear and force. I'll help the Paradox destroy this world, and then I'll be able to rule, too. Power... I've always wanted it."

Albus paused, thinking about what he had just said. He did want power, and he had always relished in leading Slytherin.

"Now, it's time you prove yourself. Release the Paradox," said Hoffman, reaching into the silvery light to remove the indigo Orb.

Albus gaped at it, unable to believe how beautiful it was. He felt an odd connection to it, as if he was the only one who truly understood it. It pulsed as it neared him, quickly growing excited as it reached its Possessor. Albus clasped it tightly and stared into its depths, prompting it to reveal its secrets.

How could he stop the Paradox—the very embodiment of evil? The Paradox was trapped in this Realm... what would happen if the Orb was destroyed?

Albus remembered that he hadn't needed any information or instructions on the Realm. He had stumbled his way through and had somehow managed to survive. He had been able to control the Guardian Spirits. He had been able to change the Phantasm Realm. The spirits had come after him, and they had told him... they had _told_ him that the Opponent was nearby!

The book on powerful magical objects that Rose had read aloud in the library after Christmas break had stated that the Opponent was an extremely powerful wizard. Albus _was_ an extremely powerful wizard.

The answer suddenly hit him. He stood there, shocked, gazing into the depths of the Orb. _Albus _was the Opponent of the Orb. He was_ both_ the Opponent and Possessor.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hoffman asked impatiently.

Albus took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. What would happen if the Realm was destroyed? Surely, he would be killed along with Hoffman. Would the Paradox? _Surely._

If Albus sacrificed himself—just like Rose and Scorpius had—would the rest of the world be saved?

The self-destruction mechanism was _him_, the Opponent of the Phantasm Orb.

_Destroy the Phantasm Orb... destroy the whole Phantasm Realm, _Albus begged the Orb silently.

The Orb blazed bright white, getting ready to grant Albus' wish. Hoffman cackled excitedly, assuming that Albus had asked the Orb to release the Paradox.

Albus closed his eyes, thinking about his family, hoping they would forgive him for being in Slytherin. Albus had never been telling the truth when he had been talking to Hoffman. He loved his family and his father, and he could only hope that they would understand why he had acted evil.

"Wait—what's happening?" Hoffman asked, the fear evident in his voice.

Albus opened his eyes to see that the whole of the Phantasm Realm was tearing_. _Rips appeared in the indigo sky, revealing darkness behind. The blast from the Phantasm Orb was causing the Realm to self destruct.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Hoffman bellowed. "Something went wrong!"

"Nothing went wrong," Albus said coldly. "It did what I wanted it to do. I asked the Orb to destroy itself and the Realm."

Hoffman's mouth dropped open in horror. "NO!" he shouted, his voice distorted with fury. "You—you—_tricked_ me! Just like you tricked your brother at the Quidditch match—the bullies—_everyone_—"

"I'm a Slytherin," he told Hoffman calmly. "A Slytherin is many things. A Slytherin may not always be wise, loyal, and brave, but every Slytherin is _cunning."_

"You traitor!" Hoffman screamed, hatred shining in his eyes.

"I'm not the traitor," Albus said, still maddeningly calm. "You are."

"B-But—it can't be!" Hoffman wailed, almost childishly. "You were on my side! All those things you said...?"

"Were lies," Albus finished. He was suddenly furious. "I'm really insulted. How _dare_ you think I'd betray my family and friends? Don't you know me at all? I wouldn't ever turn my backs on them. _Never_, and don't you even think it.

"And I don't want to lead the new world. It's fine the way it is now, and I'm not going to let you go around destroying it for your own selfish reasons! You're not going to get the Paradox, and you're not going to destroy the world. You've failed, Hoffman!" Albus shouted, clutching the Orb to his heart.

Then comprehension dawned on Hoffman's face. "You. You're the _one."_

"What?" Albus spluttered, caught off guard by Hoffman's sudden revelation.

"It's _you," _Hoffman repeated. "Eleven years ago... the timeline fits, doesn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Albus demanded.

"Of course. _Of course_. How could I not have seen it before? Your magic—it's not normal—it's too powerful—you're _stronger_ than Voldemort, far, far stronger—all the signs point to _you_—" Hoffman gasped, looking crazed.

Albus stared at Hoffman's mental breakdown, unable to believe his eyes. Why was Hoffman sinking to the ground and shaking? Why was he sobbing and staring at Albus in horror?

"It's you! YOU! YOU! _YOU'RE _the_ one!"_ Hoffman cried, rolling around on the floor.

Albus stepped back in alarm, not wanting to stay next to the insane man. What in Merlin's name was Hoffman going on about? He decided to ignore him.

Albus turned to gaze at the rest of the Phantasm Realm as it tore apart violently. He did not try to run and remained standing straight. There was nowhere to go—the whole Realm was unraveling like a thread, and soon, there would be nothing left. Albus closed his eyes as everything began to whirl and twist around him, knowing that he and Hoffman would be destroyed with the rest of the Realm.

Albus raised the Orb high in front of him and threw it as far as he could. It fell to the ground and shattered on impact. The shards dissolved into mist, never to endanger the world again.

The dark sensation that had been aiding Albus to act evil left him. He was now weak-kneed and fatigued. The smirk was no longer on his face, and despair and fear settled over him like a blanket, threatening to smother him.

He was no longer the sinister boy who had put on a clever mask to fool Hoffman. He was once more the stuttering fool that could barely form sentences without messing up, the idiot who had ruined any chance of Slytherin winning the House Cup, the official loser of Hogwarts.

All of his energy drained, Albus sunk to his knees. Then the pain in his head peaked, and he gratefully drifted into the oblivion of darkness.

* * *

"Is he going to wake up soon?"

"The headmaster says that it's possible that he'll _never_ wake up—that's not true, is it?"

"I don't know—it's a miracle he survived—Hoffman didn't even come close..."

"Don't scare them, Harry. He'll wake up, Lily, Rose, don't worry."

"I can't believe he was so stupid—destroying the Orb. Didn't he know that he'd kill himself doing it? And w-what if he doesn't wake up? The _idiot_!"

"Shut up, Scorpius. You're scaring Lily."

"Sorry, Rose. Not really. _Fine_, Mrs. Potter! I'll say 'sorry.' Is everyone happy now?"

"_When_ is he going to wake up? It's been a whole week, and he keeps tossing and turning and clearly having nightmares..."

"Don't scare Lily, Ginny."

"I'm n-not scared!"

"Don't scare yourself, Lily."

"Wait a moment—his eyes are opening—look!"

Albus blinked blearily, and several blurry faces appeared in front of him, most with freckles. Everyone cheered loudly.

Albus, unable to grasp the situation, only moaned and muttered, "The Orb... Hoffman... Scorpius... Rose..."

"It's all right, Al. Hoffman is dead. You destroyed the Phantasm Orb and its Realm, and Rose and Scorpius are safe," someone said, and Albus recognized his father's voice.

Albus jerked awake, ignoring the throbbing pains in his head. "Rose? Scorpius? Where are they?"

"We're here, Al," Rose said soothingly. He craned his neck to see both his parents, Lily, Rose, and Scorpius standing around his bed. Albus saw James, too, who was sulking in a corner.

"You're okay...," Albus said, taking a deep breath. Rose and Scorpius were safe... they weren't dead. _He_ wasn't dead, either.

"H-How?" Albus spluttered. "Why didn't I die?"

"The rest of you, get out why I talk with Al," Albus' father ordered. Everyone instantly protested, except for James, who just looked relieved to leave. Albus' mother dragged the children out of the Hospital Wing, nodding to her husband.

"I'm not sure how you escaped, Al," his father answered solemnly. "When you didn't turn up the next morning, the professors thought that you might have gone after the Orb. It was Irving who alerted the Ministry that you and your friends were gone. When we got to the third-floor corridor, we saw all three of you knocked out. Rose and Scorpius woke up immediately... but you were nearly dead."

"B-But, I should have died!" Albus yelped. "I was sure..."

His father looked several years older than Albus remembered. "You should have died... but I'm so grateful that you kept fighting..." Suddenly, his father hugged Albus so tightly that he thought his lungs would burst from the lack of air.

Then Harry looked furious. "Why did you go after the Orb?" he snapped. "You should have let me take care of it—you should have told someone—you could have _died_—and what would we do without you—you are in _so_ much trouble—"

Albus had to raise his voice to be heard over his father's yelling. "Stop sounding like Mum!" he growled. "I tried to tell Triton, but he didn't listen to me! What could I do—the _world_ was in trouble! Hoffman was going to release the embodiment of evil! Did you expect me to just stand around and worry about my exam results? What would _you_ have done?"

Harry fell silent, clearly regretting his outburst. "I would have done the same thing, Al. I _did_ do the same thing many years ago. I need you to tell me everything that happened this year. _Now."_

Albus began from the start, telling him about how he, Rose, and Scorpius had run into the spirits and escaped. Then, he told his father about the conversation at Halloween between Irving and Hoffman. He told his father about running into the spirit and fighting it off with his inner magic. He went on to describe what had happened during Christmas, but found that he couldn't remember the scene very well at all. Finally, he told his father what the bodiless voice had told him in the Forbidden Forest.

"The embodiment of evil...," Albus' father echoed. "I'm sorry, Al, I don't know what that is. I'll ask your Aunt Hermione, but if she knew, she would have told us..."

"Hoffman called the embodiment of evil the 'Paradox,'" Albus recalled.

Harry scratched his head nervously, making his already untidy jet black hair even messier. "Al, I'm not sure. I mean, Voldemort's gone... all has been well for nearly twenty years..."

"The embodiment of evil is different than Voldemort, I think," Albus said, firm in this belief. Then, in a very small voice, he asked, "Do you think that I destroyed him? I mean, Hoffman died, but_ I_ didn't. I escaped, and I'm just a kid. Is there a chance that the Paradox did, too?"

Albus took a deep breath and continued. "Both the voice in the Forbidden Forest and Hoffman made the Paradox sound... _worse_ than Voldemort. Hoffman said that the embodiment of evil, the Paradox, was a 'step above' wizardkind. Did he mean that the embodiment of evil wasn't human? Did he mean that the Paradox had powers different from a wizard's?"

His father looked deep in thought. "I don't know, Al. I've never heard of such a thing as an embodiment of evil. If there was something like that, it would be in the history books. There would be _some_ mention of it."

"Maybe," Albus began hopefully, "Hoffman was deluded?"

But the voice that he'd heard in the Forbidden Forest had told him the same thing, and he knew that he could trust that voice. The voice had said that only a _part_ of the embodiment of evil resided in the Orb...

"Maybe Hoffman was," Harry said. "But we can't count on it. I'm going to investigate this matter, but perhaps the threat is over. Hoffman was only one man, and he's dead now."

_And the Paradox? The embodiment of evil? What about _that_?_

Albus continued talking, not feeling completely reassured. He told of how he, Rose, and Scorpius had gone into the Phantasm Realm. Albus then told his father of being able to control the spirits and change the Realm.

Harry's mouth fell open. "_You're _the Opponent? That's probably why the Orb was releasing spirits all over the place and you kept running into them. It wanted to stop you. That's why you survived the Realm without instructions. I had wondered why... Continue your story."

Albus paused. He didn't want to tell his father about the evil sensation that had given him strength and helped him trick Hoffman.

He decided to lie instead. "And I took the Orb from him...," he said, lamely.

Harry looked disbelieving. "So easily?"

Albus gulped. "Yeah. I-I took him by surprise." _That's a way of saying it. _"I asked the Orb to destroy itself and the Realm," he continued. "Hoffman started yelling at me. Then he started doing something strange. He went all insane and started screaming at me like a madman."

"He was probably just angry at you," his father said, sounding a bit uncertain.

"I know, but it seemed like he had just realized something important and was angry that he couldn't tell it to anyone," Albus said slowly, unsure where this explanation had come from. Hoffman _had _realized something in the Realm—something about _Albus._

"So, the Realm was just destroyed, and you ended up here," Harry finished for Albus.

Albus nodded. "There's something else. My head hurt really badly every time I tried to change the Realm," he said. "Do you know why that was?"

"Well, I'm not so sure. But I read the notes kept on the Orb, and they explained this a little bit. Since you're the Opponent, you had a connection with the Realm. This connection was broken when the Realm was destroyed—and that must have hurt you, too," Harry said

Albus sighed and asked, "Is it over, Dad?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "If it isn't, you don't need to worry about it." He paused. "And I'm sure it's over."

_You're lying, _thought Albus.

Then, in a small voice, he asked, "Dad, did you know that Hoffman compared me to Voldemort?"

"You aren't like Voldemort at all, Al," Harry assured him. "Think of yourself as having the same kind of magical strength that Dumbledore has, maybe just a tad more. That's _all it is_. You're a normal wizard, except that you're a bit better at magic than everyone else. It's uncommon, but not completely rare."

"Really, Dad?" Albus asked hopefully, looking up into his father's face. "I'm normal?"

Harry's emerald-green eyes flashed with doubt for a moment. It was so brief that Albus wondered if he had imagined it. "Really, Al," Albus' father finally said.

They were quiet for a few seconds.

"Who are those sweets from?" Albus asked finally, pointing to a couple of cards and candies on his bedside table. He hadn't seen them before—he had been too busy discussing the past year with his father.

"Look and see," Harry said, smiling at the incredulous expression on Albus' face.

Albus opened the cards and saw that Rose, Scorpius, Lily, and Elina had all given him chocolates. Then he unwrapped the packaging of a huge sweater and stared at it, shocked.

"This—everyone in the family signed this," Albus spluttered, unable to believe it.

"Exactly. I must say, Ginny and I had to force them to, but it looks like you've taken a step in proving yourself to them."

"Why do I have to prove myself?" Albus grumbled. "Why can't they just accept that I'm a Slytherin? Do I need to save the world, again and again?"

"Well, the story we told the rest of the school was that you and Hoffman had an accident and Hoffman died. They don't know anything about what you did in the Phantasm Realm at all. Rose, Scorpius, and James are the only people, other than you, at Hogwarts who know, and we've asked them to keep a secret," Harry said.

"What? So nobody knows?" Albus spluttered, taken by surprise. "Oh... Well, I guess I like it better as a secret. But still, why do I have to prove myself to everyone?"

"You're a Slytherin, Albus, and the first Potter or Weasley to be one, _ever. _The Slytherins were always our enemies. Perhaps that isn't true anymore, but we're still prejudiced. Some old wounds never heal. You'll need to fight for yourself and your House to truly earn the family's respect."

"_I'll show them_," Albus promised. "I'll show the whole world what Slytherins can do. I'll be the one to bring back Slytherin's glory—just like the Sorting Hat said I would."

"Perhaps you will, Al. Maybe Slytherins have changed," Harry admitted. "But, know this: I'll always love you, no matter what. I said on Platform 9 ¾ that it wouldn't matter to your mother and me what House you were sorted into. I still believe that, and don't think anything different."

Albus grinned so widely that his face started to hurt. "Thanks, Dad." But then, the smile slid of Albus' face. "James told me t-that—that—"

Harry scowled. "Don't listen to your brother. He likes a joke, but now I suspect that he's starting to be a bit cruel. I'll punish him, don't worry. I think your mother and I've gone on too long ignoring you and spoiling him."

Albus smirked.

"So, I guess you need to rest," his father said, finally wrapping up their long conversation. _"Constant vigilance!"_

* * *

Classes resumed. Albus was still hated and bullied by everyone, since the rest of the school didn't know about what he had done. He was used to being the loser, but that didn't mean that he liked it...

But there was something good that came out of all of this: Albus always smirked whenever he saw James, who seemed to be jealous of Albus because he had done something brave—just like their father had in his first year. James had gladly kept quiet about the ordeal, not wanting his more heroic younger brother to gain recognition. Albus wouldn't be intimidated or fooled by his brother ever again.

Albus was most of all delighted to discover that Scorpius and Rose were alive and well. The three of them had spent every waking moment together, talking about their adventure or joking about Quidditch.

Albus was slightly sore that Gryffindor would be winning both the Quidditch (Since Albus had missed the final Quidditch match when he had been unconscious.) and House Cups, but decided that there were still six years left for Slytherin. Slytherin's curse of nearly twenty years would one day be broken, and Albus would be the one to do it. He promised himself that.

Since Hoffman was gone, they received free periods in place of Potions. During these, the trio would visit Hagrid. Albus was pleased to discover that Scorpius and the gamekeeper were getting along quite well and could now have civil conversations without mentioning Draco Malfoy.

Additionally, the school was abuzz with news that Harry Potter would be lecturing them on Defense Against the Dark Arts in place of Irving for one lesson. Albus greatly looked forward to it, as did everyone else.

Finally, the day came, and he, Rose, and Scorpius walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts. Derlwin sneered at the Slytherins and smiled at Rose, as usual.

Albus' father wasn't there yet.

Derlwin took this opportunity to snicker, whisper excitedly to his thuggish friends, and jump out of his seat.

"What is he doing?" Scorpius hissed, glaring at the Gryffindor.

Derlwin sprinted up to the front of the classroom and grabbed a piece of chalk. Albus stared at him with eyes narrowed, wondering what Derlwin was going to do and knowing that it wasn't going to be anything good. Smiling maliciously, the arrogant Gryffindor began writing on the blackboard. His bulky figure covered up the board, so no one could see what he was scribbling. Albus craned his neck, very annoyed.

Then Albus heard faint footsteps coming from outside, and Derlwin dropped the chalk and ran back to his desk, snorting with laughter.

On the blackboard were the words:

**ALPUS SNIVELLUS IS A LOSER**

The Gryffindors snickered among themselves, though Elina and Rose looked absolutely outraged. Albus rolled his eyes, though he was seething on the inside. How dare Derlwin accuse him of being a loser when Albus had practically saved the whole world? But Derlwin didn't know about that, of course.

Harry Potter walked in with his fellow Auror, Ron Weasley. Rose squealed and waved, and the two men waved back.

"Hello," Harry said, meeting Albus' eyes and giving him a small smile. Albus willed his father not to turn around—he did not yet know how much Albus was hated at Hogwarts. "As you know, Ron and I are the co-Head Aurors."

"Harry holds the _real_ title, though, eh, Harry?" Uncle Ron muttered, smirking at his friend.

Albus' father rolled his eyes at his colleague. "All right, I'm going to start by talking a little about the Second Wizarding War. It's necessary for you all to know this, as it could happen again...," Harry said, trailing off.

To Albus' horror, his father turned around and stared at the words 'ALPUS SNIVELLUS IS A LOSER.'

The Gryffindors burst out into laughter, though Harry looked absolutely furious. Uncle Ron had a surprised expression on his face and gave Albus a searching look.

"Not very popular, are you, Al?" Uncle Ron asked, while the Gryffindors howled with mirth.

Albus shook his head, his face very red.

Harry glared at the class and asked, "Who did this?"

Nobody spoke.

Harry turned back to board to cross out the words on it and instead wrote:

**ALBUS SEVERUS IS A HERO**

* * *

Albus and Scorpius walked to the End-of-Term Feast together, meeting Rose at the Great Hall.

"I suppose you're glad that Gryffindor's going to win the House Cup, right?" Scorpius asked bitterly.

"Yes," Rose said firmly, giving them apologetic looks.

"Another year added to Slytherins being losers," Scorpius sighed as she left.

"No," Albus said. "Slytherins aren't losers anymore. The House Cup doesn't matter—we've shown the other houses that we can fight for ourselves."

They sat down at the Slytherin table, still gloomy. The Great Hall was decked with the Gryffindor colors of scarlet and gold, and James was triumphantly holding court at the Gryffindor table, Elina by his side. Albus felt a pang of anger, but pushed it away. It had been Albus who had become the hero, not James.

"Another year has gone by," Triton said, bored. "Sorry, but I have some business to take care of before we eat. Harry Potter, who left just yesterday, insisted that I change a few things..."

There was a great deal of whispering. Albus exchanged a confused look with Scorpius, who shrugged.

"The House Cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Slytherin, with three hundred and thirteen points; in third place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and ninety-two; in second, Ravenclaw, with three hundred and ninety-eight; and in first place, Gryffindor, with four hundred and thirteen."

The Gryffindors cheered at the top of their voices, and several people clapped James on the back and complimented him, as if it was all thanks to him that Gryffindor had won. Albus froze with anger when he saw Elina hugging James.

"Ah, yes, good job to the Gryffindors. However, recent events must be taken into account."

The smiles faded slightly from the Gryffindor's faces. James' mouth dropped open in surprise.

"And the _few_ last minutes points will go to, let me see...

"First—to Mr. Scorpius Malfoy..."

Scorpius choked on his breath.

"...for undying loyalty to his friends, I award Slytherin House fifty points."

Scorpius turned slightly pink, and the Slytherins all clapped excitedly.

"Second—to Miss Rose Weasley... for showing inspiring bravery, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

It was the Gryffindor's turn to cheer this time. Rose beamed as the Gryffindors applauded her and gave the Slytherins nasty looks.

"Third—to Mr. Albus Potter...," said Triton. The Great Hall went deadly quiet, and everyone seemed to stop breathing. "...for defeating evil by using outstanding cunning, I award Slytherin House one hundred points."

_How did he know? _thought Albus, deeply unsettled. _I didn't tell anyone that I tricked Hoffman..._

There was utter pandemonium. The Gryffindors screamed in outrage while the Slytherins screamed in delight, nearing raising the magical ceiling of the room. Those who could add up points while yelling themselves hoarse now knew that Slytherin and Gryffindor were tied for the House Cup.

But the whole school was completely shocked and confused, too. What had Albus done to deserve all those points? There was no way the biggest school loser could have done something heroic. The reason that Albus had ended up in the Hospital Wing had been an accident with Hoffman, _hadn't it been_?

"As you can see, we have a bit of a problem," Triton sighed. "So, I'm not really sure what to do..."

"Wait a moment, Gale," said Neville suddenly.

"I'd like to award some more points, if that's okay with you," Neville said, smiling slightly. Everyone silenced themselves, staring at the Herbology professor. "It takes a lot of determination to stand up to bullies—I should know—but, it takes even more to stand up to friends. Therefore, I award Mr. Oswald Nesbitt ten points."

The din was deafening. The Slytherins all stampeded toward a very pink-faced and shocked Oswald. Albus and Scorpius doubled over with laughter—who would have known?

"Okay, thank you, Neville," Triton said, shrugging. "As you can all see, the decoration needs to be changed."

Gale Triton flicked his wand, and the scarlet hangings became emerald and the gold became silver; the huge Gryffindor lion vanished and was replaced by a shining Slytherin serpent. Albus saw Irving sitting in silence, a surly look on his face.

In that moment, Albus' eyes met Irving's, and he realized that Irving's feelings toward him hadn't changed at all. Even if Irving had tried to save his life, he had still hurt Albus with his terrifying ice blue eyes. Albus still did not trust him, and he wasn't quite sure what Irving was all about. Whose side was he on? Albus pushed the matter of Irving into a small corner of his brain, deciding it would better to instead focus on the Feast.

Albus was crowned the King of Slytherin once more, and he quickly decided that it was the best evening of his life. It was better than beating James at Quidditch, or defeating spirits, or even saving the world by tricking villains... he would never, ever, forget tonight.

* * *

Albus had forgotten that exam results were due to come out, but come they did. Rose was furious to discover that Scorpius had beaten her by far in all subjects, even Transfiguration, which was her best. Albus and Scorpius, unsurprisingly, had received top marks in everything. Albus was particularly pleased with his four hundred and twenty-three percent in Potions. Sadly, Derlwin had passed everything, though he had barely managed to do so.

Far too soon, the end of term arrived. Albus' trunk was packed, and all his books were put away. Herwina was back in her cage, and notes were handed out, reminding students not to use magic during the summer holidays. Then Hagrid took the first years back across the lake in the small fleet of boats, and everyone was happily seated on the train.

They all played and joked around as the countryside changed from rainy to sunny, from green to brown. Several Slytherins came to meet and compliment Albus, as well as discuss new prank ideas for the next year. Albus told them that they had already won the battle against Gryffindor by winning the House Cup, and there was no need to continue it—for now, at least.

James, as expected, dropped by to call Albus rude names and steal his sweets, but Albus rather enjoyed it when Elina walked in at that very moment and yelled herself hoarse at James.

All in all, it was a very satisfying ride back home. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius played chess and once more discussed their adventures, wondering if their next years would be as interesting and exciting.

Albus hoped not.

Finally, the train came to a slow stop, and the students piled out. Both Albus and Rose were reluctant to say goodbye to Scorpius.

"Write letters, okay, _Scorpy_!" Rose ordered, squeezing the pale, blond-haired boy's hand.

Scorpius blushed and glared at her. "I told you not to call me 'Scorpy.' I hate nicknames," he snapped. He pulled his hand away and wiped it on his shirt, making a face.

Many people insulted and jeered at Albus as he stepped off the train, which was not very surprising.

"Hey, _Snivellus_—have a good summer, _nerd!"_

"Have fun being a loser, Al_pus!"_

But Slytherins gave him better goodbyes.

"Bye, Potter—have a good one!"

"See you next year, Albus!"

"Still hated by pretty much everyone, but still King of Slytherin, I see," Scorpius smirked.

"Not King where I'm going," Albus sighed, "and hopefully not hated, either."

"What are you going to do about James?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know—but he'll have a bit of trouble insulting me—I won't let him walk over me anymore. We'll just have to see, I suppose...," Albus answered, trailing off.

With that, the trio parted. Albus ran into his mother's arms, permitting her to kiss him. Then James jumped off the train gave Albus a nasty look.

"Snivellus."

"Gittydor."

"_Loser."_

"IF YOU KEEP INSULTING EACH OTHER, YOU'RE BOTH GOING TO GET GROUNDED!" Ginny screeched as the family settled into their car.

James and Albus fell quiet, giving each other murderous looks. Lily, who was clearly torn between her brothers, sat in the middle.

The rivalry between the two sons of Harry Potter wasn't close to over yet, but Albus was ready for it, just like he was ready to face anything that came at him. There were so many questions left unanswered—questions about Albus' own strange powers and the embodiment of evil. _A step above wizardkind_, Hoffman had called him...

Was Hoffman the only one who had dared to try to release the Paradox, or was he simply a 'pawn' in a complicated chess game, like the Phantasm Spirits had called him?

_Of course not. The Paradox's gone. Hoffman's dead. It's over. Everything's safe again... all is well, right?_

Albus just hoped that his adventures were over. He hoped that he had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time this year.

He let out a deep sigh and desperately wished that he wouldn't always be running into trouble, but, of course, there was no shooting star in the sky.

**THE END**

_Or is it?_

* * *

**Author's Note: Yup, finished posting it.**

**Now, I began to write this series a couple months ago, and now I'm almost done with book three! I have _way_ too much time on my hands... But I'm assuming that will change when I enter ninth grade/high school.**

**Anyways, I think this was fun to write. It's my first novel-length book that I've finished. I don't know how much you all liked it, but I think it was pretty decent, despite the cliches, the cheesiness, and whatever other stupid grammar mistakes and plotholes that I have.**

**If you have any questions, since I know stuff can get confusing, ask away! I will be happy to answer them, unless doing so will spoil future events.**

**I will post the second book... right now, actually. XD**

**The adventures of the **_Emerald Trio_** and the **_Emerald Boy_** will be continued in... Albus Potter and the Scepter of Shadows!**

**See you then!**

**And... um... review. Please. REVIEW! Leave me a nice long one, telling me what you thought of the story as a whole! **

**And, finally, thank you so much for reading! Even if you didn't review, I'm thankful that you've taken the time to read it, and I hope you've all enjoyed it!**

**~Crystalline Iridescentia**


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